Netflix Uses Generative AI for VFX in ‘The Eternaut’, Accelerating Production and Cutting Costs
Updated: July 20, 2025
Netflix has officially entered the next phase of content creation by using generative AI-powered visual effects in its original Argentine sci-fi series, The Eternaut. This marks the first time the company has incorporated GenAI final footage in a Netflix original series or film.
Why AI Was Used in The Eternaut
During a recent investor call, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos revealed that a complex building collapse scene in Buenos Aires was made possible using AI-enhanced VFX tools. The in-house team at Scanline VFX, via its iLine division, delivered the sequence 10x faster than using traditional methods. Sarandos noted that producing the same scene conventionally would have been unfeasible on the show’s budget.
Netflix aims to streamline production through AI while maintaining high visual quality—especially for projects outside the US, where budget constraints are often more rigid.
Industry Response Remains Mixed
The entertainment industry remains divided. While Netflix defends AI as a production tool, critics argue that generative AI may jeopardize creative jobs and reuse copyrighted material without permission. The issue played a central role in the 2023 Hollywood writers’ strike, which led to limitations on AI’s role in scriptwriting.
“We believe GenAI will help creators, not replace them,” Sarandos reassured during the investor meeting.
— Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO, Netflix
Emerging tools like OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo 3 continue to raise questions across the creative industry by enabling realistic video generation through simple text commands.
About the Show
The Eternaut is adapted from the iconic Argentine graphic novel El Eternauta by Héctor G. Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López. Originally published in the late 1950s, it tells a dystopian story of survival amid a deadly snowfall that isolates Buenos Aires.
Since its premiere in April 2025, the series has become one of Netflix’s top-performing non-English originals. It has entered the global Top 10 and appeared in the Top 10 overall in major markets such as the US, Brazil, France, Germany, and Spain. A second season is already confirmed.
As Netflix prepares to launch AI-driven interactive advertisements by 2026 for ad-tier users, the company’s broader vision for AI in storytelling and viewer engagement becomes increasingly clear.
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