Netflix says AI has touched 300 titles, director claims 40% saving

Netflix has used artificial intelligence on about 300 titles, from early planning to final visual effects.

That figure came from Lee Sung-gyun, Netflix's senior director of APAC production, speaking at the Busan International Film Festival on 10 October. Lee gave the number during a panel on AI and film production, as reported by Variety.

The session was titled "Film Production and AI: New Tools, New Possibilities." Netflix co-hosted it with the MPA, the American trade body for film studios. Film critic Yun Sung-eun moderated. Lee shared the stage with Kimball Thurston, chief technology officer at Wētā FX, and director Kang Yoon-sung, best known for "The Outlaws."

Lee said the 300-title count covers previs, meaning early animated versions of scenes used to plan shoots, plus production design, set-dressing concepts, editing and VFX, meaning visual effects added by computer. It is not one tool. It is small uses spread across departments.

To show what that looks like, Lee screened a reel from Eyeline, Netflix's own VFX studio. The reel focused on hybrid production, which mixes live-action photography with traditional visual effects and newer generative tools. One clip showed how AI and VFX built large crowd scenes for "Glory," a Netflix India title, without filling a stadium with extras.

Kang gave the bluntest number of the day. AI workflows could cut 30% to 40% from a feature film's production budget, he said. His math comes from a live project.

That project is "The Gulf of Aden," a planned film about military operations at sea. Kang said fundraising calculations put the actual saving at around 40%. Earlier this year he made a test clip for the film entirely with AI, using Kling software, to see if sea battles and ships could be built that way.

Kang has tested the approach before. He co-directed "Run to the West" with AI filmmaker Kwon Han-seul. The film opened in Korean cinemas last October. It was billed as Korea's first feature to use AI across its entire production.

The panel sat inside Creative Asia, a Netflix and BIFF programme for emerging Asian talent. Netflix and the festival run it with masterclasses, industry panels and workshops. This year's one-day edition took place on 10 October, according to Deadline.

The wider festival context is large. The 31st Busan International Film Festival runs from 6 to 15 October at and around the Busan Cinema Center. Netflix brought five titles to this year's edition, according to Netflix.

What makes this stand out is the scale on both sides. One executive is talking about hundreds of credits. One director is talking about nearly half a budget. For people watching at home, none of that appears on screen. It shows up in how fast a crowd scene is built, or whether a hard-to-film story gets made at all.