is a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years.
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Netflix has already faced backlash over the use of AI in What Jennifer Did, director Jenny Popplewell’s 2024 true crime documentary that seemingly used AI-generated images in place of real archival photos. That documentary stood out as a shining example of gen AI’s ability to distort reality in situations where people are specifically looking to be told the truth about something. Now the streamer is taking steps to avoid similar problems.
This week, Netflix published a post on its Partner Help Center hub detailing its guiding principles regarding gen AI and the situations in which it is ok with production teams using the technology. In Netflix’s view, gen AI tools are “valuable creative aids” that make it easier for “users to rapidly generate new and creatively unique media (video, sound, text, and image).” Because the gen AI space is moving at such a breakneck pace, however, the company felt that it was important to outline the rules it expects its partners to follow if and when they use these tools.
“To support global productions and stay aligned with best practices, we expect all production partners to share any intended use of GenAI with their Netflix contact, especially as new tools continue to emerge with different capabilities and risks,” the post explains. “Most low-risk use cases that follow the guiding principles below are unlikely to require legal review. However, if the output includes final deliverables, talent likeness, personal data, or third-party IP, written approval will be required before you proceed.”
Netflix’s gen AI best practices are predicated on five specific guidelines that it sees as being “essential to act responsibly when employing generative workflows.” Netflix says:
The outputs do not replicate or substantially recreate identifiable characteristics of unowned or copyrighted material, or infringe any copyright-protected works
The generative tools used does not store, reuse, or train on production data inputs or outputs.
Where possible, generative tools are used in an enterprise-secured environment to safeguard inputs.
Generated material is temporary and not part of the final deliverables.
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