Netflix says it used generative AI to create final visual-effects footage for The Eternaut (El Eternauta), its Argentine science-fiction series. The AI-assisted sequence showed a building collapsing in Buenos Aires. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos called it the first generative-AI final footage to appear in a Netflix original series or film; that claim is specifically about finished on-screen footage, not every possible use of AI in Netflix productions.
What show did Netflix use video-generating AI in?
The show is The Eternaut, an Argentine series released globally on Netflix on April 30, 2025. Netflix describes it as the first screen adaptation of the graphic novel by writer Héctor G. Oesterheld and illustrator Francisco Solano López, originally published in 1957. K&S Films was a production partner. Netflix Media Center: The Eternaut; About Netflix: release announcement.
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What did the AI help create?
The reported use was in a visual-effects sequence depicting a building collapsing in Buenos Aires. Sarandos described the result as “the very first GenAI final footage to appear on screen in a Netflix, Inc. original series or film,” as reported by TechCrunch on July 18, 2025. The wording matters: it refers to generative-AI footage used in a finished Netflix original, not a claim that Netflix had never used any kind of AI for other production work. TechCrunch’s report.
How much faster or cheaper was the sequence?
Sarandos said the sequence was completed ten times faster than it could have been with traditional visual-effects workflows and at lower cost. That is Netflix’s executive comparison, not an independently verified production measurement. The report gives no conventional-workflow baseline, dollar costs, or separate accounting for the shot, so the statement does not establish how much money or production time was saved in absolute terms. It also does not identify the AI model, vendor, prompts, or detailed workflow.
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What is known about the production’s scale?
Associated Press reported that Netflix said 2,900 people were involved in the production, that pre- and post-production together took four years, and that the series contributed $34 million to Argentina’s economy. AP also said Netflix had not disclosed the show’s budget. The economic contribution is not a production-budget figure and should not be treated as one. Associated Press: production context and figures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the use is notable
The example places generative AI in a finished visual-effects shot for a major scripted series rather than describing AI only as a planning or experimental aid. Netflix’s account suggests a possible production advantage in speed and cost for this sequence, but the available figures do not allow readers to compare the result with a specific conventional shot or determine whether the same savings would apply to other scenes or productions.
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For viewers interested in the story’s origins, Netflix identifies the series as an adaptation of the 1957 Argentine graphic novel by Oesterheld and López. The AI report concerns one effects sequence; it does not indicate that generative AI created the series as a whole.
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