Netflix Unveils ChatGPT-Powered AI Search Feature for Enhanced Content Discovery

Netflix debuts its generative AI-powered search tool | TechCrunch

After hinting at a new AI-powered search experience during its recent earnings call, Netflix officially unveiled the feature at its tech and product event on Wednesday. This new search experience will utilize OpenAI's ChatGPT to provide users with a conversational discovery experience. Users can enter their preferences using natural phrases like "I want something funny and upbeat" or even more detailed requests, such as "I want something scary, but not too scary, and maybe a little bit funny, but not haha funny." The feature is set to roll out this week to iOS users as an opt-in beta. Some subscribers in Australia and New Zealand have already had access to it, as reported by Bloomberg last month. Other competitors are also leveraging generative AI for search. For instance, Amazon has an AI voice search experience on Fire TVs that responds to open-ended inquiries about TV shows and movies. A closer comparison is Tubi's ChatGPT-powered search tool, which answered content-related questions and suggested movies based on a user's specific request. However, Tubi later discontinued the feature, probably because of low adoption. It remains to be seen whether Netflix's new feature will face similar challenges. Additionally, at the tech and product event, the company mentioned plans to use generative AI to update title cards in subscribers' preferred languages.

Netflix's new AI search feature makes it easier to find what to watch

If you've ever scrolled aimlessly on Netflix trying to find something to watch, AI is here to help. Netflix offers an extensive selection of films and shows, yet the only filter available to narrow your search is genre. However, an AI-enabled feature could make your browsing experience much easier. Also: I used Netflix's secret codes to quintuple my viewing options - here's how The company has announced a new search feature that allows users to describe the content they want to watch using conversational terms and descriptions. OpenAI's generative AI models power this AI-enhanced search feature, made most commonly known by the company's AI chatbot, ChatGPT. Search is a popular use of generative AI models, as their natural language processing capabilities allow people to use conversational phrases instead of generic keywords -- and that's true with this new AI-enabled feature. For example, instead of looking up "comedy," users could now search for "I want something funny and upbeat," according to Netflix. Also: Roku clarifies that it's not rolling out new pause ads after all Before you get too excited, the experience is not yet available for all users. The upgraded search is first rolling out on iOS in a small opt-in beta, with plans to expand to more devices soon. However, if you like the experience, other streaming services and TV operating systems have recently unveiled similar systems. For example, at CES, Google replaced its TV Google Assistant with Gemini, making the tool a much more capable virtual assistant that better understands conversational requests to provide improved assistance. As early as 2023, Tubi added a similar conversational text search feature for mobile. If your TV or streaming platform doesn't have an AI-enabled search feature, you can always use your favorite chatbot to mimic the experience. For example, you can type into ChatGPT, "Find me a rom-com shot in the early 2000s available to watch on Netflix in the US," and the bot will provide a list of choices. Also: YouTube launches cheaper Premium Lite plan - but are the trade-offs worth it? Since the chatbot is not internally connected to Netflix, it may not reference the most up-to-date version of its catalog, but it could point you in the right direction.

Netflix search now speaks fluent ChatGPT

Netflix officially unveiled its new AI-powered search feature at its tech and product event on Wednesday, following hints at the new experience during its recent earnings call. The feature uses OpenAI's ChatGPT to provide a conversational discovery experience. Users can enter their preferences using natural phrases, such as "I want something funny and upbeat," or more detailed requests like "I want something scary, but not too scary, and maybe a little bit funny, but not haha funny." The feature is set to roll out this week to iOS users as an opt-in beta. Some subscribers in Australia and New Zealand have already had access to the feature, as reported by Bloomberg last month. Other streaming competitors, including Amazon and Tubi, have also leveraged generative AI for search. Amazon's AI voice search experience on Fire TVs responds to open-ended inquiries about TV shows and movies. Tubi's ChatGPT-powered search tool, which was later discontinued, answered content-related questions and suggested movies based on user requests. Netflix also revealed plans to use generative AI to update title cards in subscribers' preferred languages during the event. Other features announced on Wednesday include a short-form video feed for mobile users and a redesign of its TV homepage. The new search feature and other updates aim to enhance the user experience on the platform.