In a groundbreaking move for television production, Netflix has embraced generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create visual effects in its Argentine sci-fi series, The Eternaut, which premiered in April 2025. This marks the first time Netflix has integrated AI-generated footage into a final cut, revolutionizing cost and time efficiency for a mid-budget show. With the global video streaming market valued at $544 billion in 2025, per Statista, this innovation could redefine how studios produce content. However, it has sparked debates about job security and creative ethics in Hollywood. This article delves into Netflix’s AI-driven approach, its implications for the industry, and the future of storytelling in the AI era.
Table of Contents
- The Eternaut’s AI Milestone
- How Generative AI Powered The Eternaut
- Cost and Time Efficiency Gains
- Hollywood’s Concerns Over AI
- The Eternaut: A Sci-Fi Legacy
- AI Tools Shaping the Future
- Netflix’s Broader AI Strategy
- Ethical and Creative Implications
- Industry Adaptation and Response
- The Future of AI in TV Production
The Eternaut’s AI Milestone
Netflix’s adoption of generative AI in The Eternaut represents a historic first for the streaming giant. During a July 2025 earnings call, co-CEO Ted Sarandos announced that the Argentine sci-fi series, adapted from a beloved comic, featured AI-generated visual effects (VFX) in a key scene, marking the first instance of such technology in a Netflix original. The series, which has garnered a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score, showcases a dramatic moment where a building collapses in Buenos Aires, a feat achieved through AI that would have been prohibitively expensive otherwise. This milestone, trending on X with posts like @CultureCrave, highlights Netflix’s push to integrate cutting-edge technology into its global content strategy, setting a precedent for the industry.
How Generative AI Powered The Eternaut
The AI-driven VFX in The Eternaut were created through a collaboration between Netflix’s in-house Eyeline Studios and the show’s creative team. The scene, depicting a building crumbling under toxic snowfall, required high-quality visuals that matched the series’ post-apocalyptic tone. Using generative AI tools, likely trained on real-world architectural data and destruction physics, the team crafted a realistic sequence with unprecedented speed. Unlike traditional VFX, which involves labor-intensive processes like 3D modeling and rendering, AI generated the footage from text prompts, streamlining production. As noted by @omooretweets on X, this approach allowed Netflix to achieve “Hollywood-quality visuals” on a mid-budget show, demonstrating AI’s potential to democratize high-end effects for international productions.
Cost and Time Efficiency Gains
The use of AI in The Eternaut slashed both production time and costs significantly. Sarandos revealed that the building collapse sequence was completed ten times faster than with traditional VFX methods, making it feasible within the show’s modest budget. Typically, such a scene would require extensive artist hours, costly render farms, and weeks of post-production, potentially costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. AI reduced these expenses dramatically, enabling Netflix to allocate resources to other aspects of the series, like its star-studded cast featuring Ricardo Darín. A 2025 Variety report estimates that AI-driven VFX can cut costs by up to 60% for mid-budget projects, a game-changer for global content creators aiming for cinematic quality.
Hollywood’s Concerns Over AI
While Netflix celebrates AI’s efficiency, its adoption has reignited concerns in Hollywood. The 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA strikes highlighted fears that AI could replace creative jobs, from writers to VFX artists. The unions secured protections against AI writing or editing scripts, but VFX roles remain vulnerable. Critics, as voiced by @TheGaloisCxn on X, argue that AI’s use in a culturally significant work like The Eternaut risks diminishing artistic integrity. Additionally, ethical questions about AI training data persist, with concerns that models like OpenAI’s Sora or Google’s Veo 3 may use copyrighted material without consent. These debates underscore the tension between technological innovation and preserving human creativity in filmmaking.
The Eternaut: A Sci-Fi Legacy
The Eternaut, based on the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel by Héctor G. Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López, is a cornerstone of Latin American sci-fi. Originally published from 1957 to 1959, it follows survivors in Buenos Aires navigating a deadly alien invasion and toxic snowfall. The Netflix adaptation, released in April 2025, stays true to its roots, blending political allegory with gripping visuals. The AI-generated building collapse scene enhances the story’s apocalyptic stakes, showcasing how technology can amplify narrative impact. With a second season already greenlit, as reported by Deadline, The Eternaut proves that AI can elevate culturally significant stories, even as it sparks industry debates.
AI Tools Shaping the Future
The success of The Eternaut highlights the growing role of AI tools in content creation. Tools like Runway, NVIDIA’s Omniverse, and OpenAI’s Sora enable studios to generate high-quality visuals from simple prompts, reducing reliance on traditional VFX pipelines. For instance, Runway’s ability to create realistic destruction sequences has been adopted by smaller studios, per a 2025 Hollywood Reporter article. Netflix’s Eyeline Studios likely used similar technology, trained on datasets of architectural and environmental imagery, to craft The Eternaut’s collapse scene. These tools not only cut costs but also empower creators to experiment with ambitious visuals, potentially leveling the playing field for non-Hollywood productions.
Netflix’s Broader AI Strategy
Netflix’s use of AI in The Eternaut is part of a broader strategy to integrate generative AI across its operations. Co-CEO Greg Peters, during the July 2025 earnings call, outlined plans to deploy AI for personalized recommendations, allowing users to search for content using conversational prompts like “find a 90s action movie.” Additionally, Netflix aims to introduce AI-powered interactive ads for its ad-tier subscribers in 2026, enhancing viewer engagement while boosting revenue. With Q2 2025 revenue reaching $11 billion, a 16% year-over-year increase, Netflix’s financial success supports its AI investments, positioning it to compete with YouTube, which holds 12.5% of U.S. TV viewing share, per Nielsen.
Ethical and Creative Implications
The integration of AI in The Eternaut raises ethical questions about creativity and labor. Critics argue that AI-generated visuals, while efficient, may lack the nuanced intent of human-crafted art, as noted by @StockRetail on X. There’s also concern about AI models being trained on copyrighted works without permission, a legal gray area fueling lawsuits against companies like OpenAI. Netflix insists that AI is a tool to augment, not replace, human creativity, with Sarandos emphasizing “real people doing real work.” However, the 2023 Hollywood strikes underscore the need for clear regulations to protect artists, ensuring AI enhances rather than supplants their contributions.
Industry Adaptation and Response
The entertainment industry is adapting to AI’s rise with a mix of enthusiasm and caution. Smaller studios, like Singapore’s CraveFX, praise AI for enabling big-budget visuals on limited budgets, per a 2025 BBC report. Major players like Disney are also exploring AI for films like The Brutalist, though facing backlash for perceived over-reliance. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA are pushing for stricter AI guidelines in upcoming 2026 negotiations, aiming to safeguard jobs. Meanwhile, creators are upskilling, with 30% of VFX artists training in AI tools, per a 2025 SIGGRAPH study, to stay competitive. This adaptation reflects a broader shift toward hybrid workflows combining human and AI expertise.
The Future of AI in TV Production
By 2026, AI is poised to become a cornerstone of TV and film production. Netflix’s success with The Eternaut may inspire other studios to adopt generative AI for VFX, script analysis, and even automated dubbing, as hinted in Netflix’s I/O 2025 keynote. However, regulatory frameworks, like the EU’s AI Act, could impose limits on AI use to address ethical concerns. With 80% of studios projected to integrate AI by 2027, per Gartner, the industry faces a balancing act: leveraging AI’s efficiency while preserving artistic integrity. As Netflix continues to innovate, its pioneering use of AI in The Eternaut sets the stage for a transformative era in global storytelling.
