Is Netflix a Friend or Foe to AI?

Late in Ted Sarandos’ interview with Wall Street analysts Tuesday afternoon, the Netflix co-ceo was asked about the value of AI to the company. Sarandos, who in shaping the era’s most successful Big Tech entrant to Hollywood has always been a skillful communicator, gave a telling answer.

The company, he said, was excited “to leverage new technical capabilities as they come online,” noting that AI can help with not just advertising and product but “content production.” The line echoed a sentence in the company’s investor letter from earlier in the day that, “We’re empowering creators with a broad set of GenAI tools to help them achieve their visions and deliver even more impactful titles for members.” (It also cited the way the technology was used to de-age characters in Adam Sandler’s recent Happy Gilmore 2.)

But then Sarandos seemed to perform a walkback. “We’re not…