Netflix launches INKubator studio to produce animated shorts with generative AI

Netflix's new studio will produce animated shorts with generative AI

This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week. Netflix has been building a new internal studio called INKubator that aims to use AI to produce short-form animated content: The streamer is hiring for a wide variety of roles, including producers, software engineers, and CG artists to staff INKubator, according to a number of recently published job listings. Netflix has yet to publicly announce its plans for INKubator, which job listings also sometimes refer to as INK. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A handful of LinkedIn profiles suggest the unit quietly launched in March. Its leadership includes Serrena Iyer, who previously held strategy and operational roles at DreamWorks Animation, MRC Studios, and A24 Films. INKubator is just Netflix's latest push to use AI for production. Earlier this year, it acquired InterPositive, an AI startup founded by Ben Affleck. But while InterPositive is primarily focused on the use of AI in post-production, INKubator appears to go much further: A listing for INKubator's head of technology calls it "our next-generation, creative-led, GenAI-native animation studio," with plans to "bridge innovation with imaginative storytelling." INKubator's long-term technology strategy will focus on "GenAI-enabled workflows, artist tooling, and scalable, secure multi-show environments," according to the listing, suggesting that this is about much more than one-off experiments. "We aim to develop feature-quality content," emphasizes another listing. At least for now, Netflix doesn't plan to produce the next KPop Demon Hunters with AI. Instead, INKubator will be all about "creating animated shorts and specials using experimental GenAI-native production pipelines," as one of the listings puts it. However, at least one job listing suggests the company is already considering taking the technology beyond shorts. INKubator's head of technology will "ensure that INK's technology investments accelerate creative ambition [...] as we ramp up activity and aim to expand into longer-form content," a listing for that position states (emphasis added). Netflix could potentially use AI-generated short-form content in various ways. The streamer recently revamped its mobile app, adding a TikTok-inspired vertical video feed called Clips. At the moment, this feed only includes trailers, behind-the-scenes footage, and other promotional content for its long-form programming. However, one could imagine that the feed could one day also include original short-form stories, including AI-generated shorts. The streamer has also been making a push to establish itself as a kid-safe alternative to YouTube by bringing creators like Ms. Rachel onto its platform. Generative AI could be one way for Netflix to further scale its kids programming and compete with a flood of videos targeting kids on YouTube. YouTube-native studios have been among the first to use generative AI for animation. Animaj, the studio that produces the popular kids show Pocoyo, has been vocal about incorporating AI into its production pipeline since 2024. Toonstar, maker of the YouTube series StEvEn & Parker, also uses AI. However, there has also been a significant backlash against the use of AI in animation. Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki famously called AI "an insult to life itself," and labor unions representing animators from multiple countries organized a protest against generative AI at the 2025 Annecy Animation Film Festival. Efforts to popularize the use of AI for animation beyond Hollywood have also faced setbacks. AI animation company Invisible Universe, which I wrote about last year, is shutting down its creator platform Invisible Studio by June 1st. Invisible Universe CEO Tricia Biggio told me in an email this week that her company was focusing on enterprise clients going forward.

Netflix wants to use generative AI to make animated shorts - Engadget

Hollywood may have some conflicted feelings about the use of AI for content creation, but Netflix seems ready to jump in the deep end. According to The Verge, the streaming service has launched a new studio called INKubator that will specialize in creating generative AI content. Based on the current job listings for the team, it appears this studio will be creating short-form animated content that centers gen-AI workflows and tools. Considering INKubator is still hiring pretty key roles like a head of technology, it may be a while before viewers see anything the group produces. To start, the team's goal appears to be making animated shorts and specials, but there are suggestions that Netflix has greater ambitions for INK. According to one job listing, the team plans at some point to "expand from shorts to longer-form content." It's also not a total surprise the streaming service is going this route, since Netflix hasn't been shy about embracing AI. The company is already using the tech in its advertisements, and it acquired InterPositive, an AI startup founded by Ben Affleck. The upcoming vertical video focus for Netflix's mobile app seems like a prime place to put the type of gen-AI content we might expect from INKubator.

Netflix wants to create AI-made animated shorts for you to ignore

A job listing describes the studio as "our next-generation, creative-led, GenAI-native animation studio." Netflix is not new to using generative AI, as the company uses it to power various features, like natural language search. Whether you like it or not, it looks like the streamer will soon start serving you new content made with the same technology. According to Lowpass, Netflix is in the middle of building a new internal studio called INKubator, also known simply as INK. The goal of this studio is to create short-form animation produced by generative AI. Based on a few LinkedIn profiles, it appears that the studio was quietly established back in March. At the moment, Netflix is filling in a variety of roles. There are various job listings for producers, software engineers, and CG artists. A job listing for the head of technology describes the studio as "our next-generation, creative-led, GenAI-native animation studio." While Netflix is still trying to staff the studio, it already has its leader. Stepping in as COO is Serrena Iyer, who was previously the director of content programming and strategy for animation at Netflix. Before coming to Netflix, Iyer had worked in strategy and operations roles at DreamWorks Animation, MRC Studios, and A24 Films.

Netflix has its own AI studio now, and AI-generated content is coming for your feed whether you like it or not

Netflix has spent years using AI to make sure you never leave the couch. Making AI-based content is the next step, I guess. The streaming giant is staffing up a new internal studio called INKubator to produce animated short films and specials using generative AI (via TheVerge). Recommended Videos The project never got an official announcement from Netflix. Instead, it surfaced through a series of recently published job listings seeking producers and CGI artists. These listings paint a pretty clear picture of where the company is headed. What exactly is INKubator, and who is running it? Based on LinkedIn profiles, INKubator quietly launched in March 2026 and is led by Serrena Iyer, who previously held strategy and operations roles at DreamWorks Animation, MRC Studios, and A24 Films. That is not a lineup you put together for a throwaway experiment. The job listings describe the studio as a next-generation, creativity-first operation built entirely around generative AI. The studio's long-term technology strategy covers generative AI workflows, artist tooling, and scalable multi-show environments. Interestingly, INKubator is not the first AI studio to be acquired by Netflix. Earlier this year, the streaming giant acquired InterPositive, an AI startup founded by actor Ben Affleck, which is centred on AI usage in post-production. Could AI-generated shows end up in your Netflix feed? For now, INKubator seems to be focused strictly on shorts and experimental animated specials, rather than full-length features. That said, the job listings hint at longer-form ambitions down the line. Netflix recently added a TikTok-style vertical video feed called Clips in its mobile app, which is currently used for trailers and promotional content. AI-generated shorts could slot naturally into that space in the future. Netflix has also been making a push into kids' programming, positioning itself as a family-friendly YouTube alternative. It also launched a standalone app for kids called Netflix Playground. Generative AI could surely help it scale that kind of content much faster. Whether you are ready for AI-made Netflix shows or not, INKubator suggests the streamer has already made up its mind.