Netflix is re-introducing artificial intelligence to improve user experience through a search engine powered by ChatGPT, which may one day change the way viewers discover and learn of content.
Netflix is experimenting with an artificial intelligence search product created by OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, which allows users to search based on very specific terms across Netflix's entire service, including searching by mood and genre-based search terms based on attributes of content included in search criteria.
Netflix's AI Recommendations Search Engine uses machine learning to determine viewer preferences based on user-specific viewing habits. Identifying preferences through your inputs, even complex ones such as "light-hearted comedies under 90-minutes", Netflix determines similar look-alike recommendations based on assumed individualized preferences. This AI recommendation search is a huge leap forward in Netflix's automation capabilities- transforming Netflix from a general recommendation algorithm to a preferable, user-provided viewing experience.
We see Netflix actively demonstrating its proactive stance on using innovative technology as a driver for user engagement. The ChatGPT 'search' is pointing the way toward a more natural, unobtrusive, and intuitive content discovery experience and, ultimately, potentially saving time that we allocate for searches. The opt-in will allow users to determine when and how they would want to embrace AI-based recommendations.
Netflix's deployment of ChatGPT into their search functionality is an important step toward the future of streaming services. As Netflix leverages artificial intelligence to produce better, more precise content recommendations tailored to a user's viewing history, it is redefining user-centered innovation in the entertainment industry. When it is available for a wider audience, it could optimize the way audiences interact with the streaming service and make searching for a show or movie feel less like a chore.