Netflix is once again caught in the crosshairs of disgruntled users, and once again, the streaming giant is being called out for its use of artificial intelligence.
Whether you like it or not, AI is not-so-slowly taking over, and more than just coming for the jobs of physical actors and voice actors, it could now be putting advertisers out of a job.
While there's plenty of competition from the likes of Disney+, Apple TV, and Amazon. Netflix is still far and away the king of the castle.
Just weeks after Netflix was called out for an 'annoying' AI update that would supposedly revolutionize its search function, the streaming giant is now being called out for its latest AI push.
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Reporting in its second annual upfront to advertisers, Netflix confirmed it will be rolling out interactive mid-roll ads and pause ads that incorporate generative AI, with subscribers warned to brace for them in 2026.
Black Mirror season 7's "Common People" looked like it was poking fun at this exact kind of ad experience on the likes of Netflix and its rival, but now, Charlie Brooker's dystopian tech terror feels like it's coming to life more than ever.
The Hollywood Reporter explains how Netflix informed subscribers about its "advanced in house ad tech suite" going live in the USA and Canada.
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This includes "new data options, more programmatic buying options and additional measurement options." Seeing generative AI as a positive, Netflix promises these changes will "marry advertiser copy and ads to each show."
Saying that it will merge the "best-in-class technology with shows and movies that everyone is watching and talking about," ad chief Amy Reinhard added: "So while a lot of companies are either/or—either they have great technology, or they have great entertainment—our superpower has always been the fact that we have both.
“And because our audience is unique, engaged and attentive, a dollar spent on Netflix is more valuable than a dollar spent anywhere else."
Netflix's announcement comes just days after Warner Bros. Discovery announced its plans to turn some of its biggest IPs into commercials as the 'WBD Storyverse'. Given that it owns everything from Harry Potter to the DCU, could we soon see John Cena's Peacemaker flogging Charmin, or what about a distasteful resurrection of Matthew Perry's Chandler Bing to sell his favorite coffee as Central Perk?
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The general idea is that adverts will feel less like adverts, with one example overlaying a product on a familiar background from Stranger Things. As you can imagine, many critics are calling the idea grubby, with the comments on Reddit being savage.
One naysayer said: "I love the way they talk about it like it’s some sort of improvement on their service That the consumer will be happy with. Such backwards bullsh*t."
Another grumbled about why they can understand customers getting increasingly frustrated with Netflix ad they added: "Piracy is often a symptom of poor service. When your customer are having a worse and worse experience everyday it's normal that some will get fed up."
A third concluded: "So why the f**k am I paying for the privilege of watching ads? What the f**k has happened to this industry? Why are we reverting to the god damned cable system?!
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Also. Out of my current streaming services, Netflix is the one that is first to go."
As many noted, this is likely just a segue into an inevitable price rise for ad-free tiers. Netflix has bounced back from worse before, but we'll have to wait and see what happens following this controversy.