Netflix using AI to help viewers manage content overload

Netflix is using AI to help customers cut through the noise of content overload, said Elizabeth Stone, the streaming service’s chief product and technology officer.

Speaking at the Bloomberg Tech conference in San Francisco on June 3, Stone said generative AI capabilities will enable “the more personalised, the more interactive, the more immersive” experience of choosing what entertainment to consume.

“That helps to solve a consumer frustration that’s brewing, which is, there’s so much content. How do I make sense of it, and what’s right for me, and what’s right for me in this moment?” Stone said.

Netflix now integrates generative AI and natural language processing to help discern what a viewer is in the mood to watch, Stone said.

It is testing a voice user interface and other experiments that combine a person’s viewing preferences and history with other factors like what is trending, helping the platform make a highly tailored recommendation, she said.

“That’s been a strength for Netflix for a long time, and I think it needs to continue to be a place where we’re state-of-the-art and continuing to innovate,” Stone said.

Bloomberg Tech continues on June 4 with appearances from Anthropic co-founder and president Daniela Amodei, Verizon Communications chief executive officer Dan Schulman, Microsoft Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, and others. BLOOMBERG