Netflix is putting artificial intelligence directly into its TV interface with AI Discover, a new feature designed to help viewers decide what to watch next.
The company is debuting the tool Tuesday, Nov. 3, for a limited number of U.S. subscribers using Netflix in English on supported smart TVs. Netflix plans to make AI Discover available to more customers and in additional regions over the coming weeks.
The rollout arrives as Netflix faces declining viewer engagement in recent quarters and a drop in viewing per subscriber. The company hopes another route to personalized recommendations can help increase total watch time, particularly in the U.S.
Although Netflix has long relied on machine learning and AI to personalize recommendations, AI Discover is its first consumer-facing application explicitly presented as being powered by artificial intelligence.
How AI Discover Works
Eligible subscribers will find a “Discover” tab in the top navigation bar of the Netflix TV app. The tab carries a red, gem-shaped icon and a “New” label.
After viewers select it, Netflix displays the message: “Give me a moment while I find your next obsession.” The feature then invites users to browse preset themes instead of typing a request into a chatbot.
Those themes can be based on mood, audience or available viewing time. Initial examples include “Something Light,” “Scare Me,” “Workplace Comedy Favorites,” “Family Movie Night,” “Quick Watches,” “Family Scandal Sagas” and “Royal Court Intrigue.” Some choices may also reflect recently watched programming or titles that are new or popular.
Each theme is introduced with a clip from a movie or show. Once a viewer chooses one, the app generates an assortment of matching titles in real time. Netflix says those results draw on the member’s viewing history and preferences, along with what is trending across the service.
Users can narrow the search by selecting more specific themes or choose “Something Different” to receive another set of options. Every recommended title also has a “Tune Your Recommendations” control beside the familiar “Play” and “My List” buttons.
That control allows viewers to keep a recommendation or tell Netflix not to suggest it again. The company says the system will remember that response within AI Discover so the unwanted selection does not continue appearing.
While the experience is interactive, Netflix is not describing it as a chatbot. AI Discover also will not be offered on kids’ profiles.
A Test With Room to Change
Netflix is presenting the feature as an evolving experiment rather than a finished addition that will immediately reach every member. The streamer is asking participants to provide feedback about whether its AI-generated discovery tools are useful.
“Think of AI Discover as our test kitchen: we’re trying out new recipes for discovery, and your use and feedback help us decide which ones to keep, improve or serve up next,” Netflix said in a blog post. “Some may even make their way into the main Netflix experience.”
According to the company, the feature runs on a new intelligence layer that can respond to members in real time and continue learning. Netflix said the experience is intended to adjust when viewers indicate what they want — or when they reject a particular recommendation.
The launch follows a broader effort to address viewing performance. Amid the recent decline in per-subscriber viewing, Netflix overhauled its content leadership team, replacing content chief Bela Bajaria with industry veteran Peter Rice in an effort to produce more hits.
AI Discover also expands the company’s use of artificial intelligence beyond behind-the-scenes recommendations. Netflix announced in July that about 300 titles in its library had used generative AI during their production processes. This spring, the company paid $587 million to acquire InterPositive, a company founded by Ben Affleck that Netflix says provides filmmakers with AI tools for use throughout film and television production.
ShowBiz Take
AI Discover matters because Netflix is moving AI from an established but largely unseen role in personalization into a clearly labeled feature that subscribers can actively shape. Rather than merely presenting another row of suggested titles, the new tool organizes discovery around a viewer’s mood, audience or schedule and lets that viewer refine the results immediately.
The limited launch also gives Netflix an opportunity to measure whether prominently branded AI can improve the process of finding a movie or show at a time when engagement and per-subscriber viewing have fallen. The company’s own “test kitchen” description makes clear that customer behavior and feedback will determine which elements are retained, revised or potentially incorporated into the main Netflix experience.
What Happens Next?
The first test begins with a restricted group of English-language users on supported smart TVs in the U.S. Netflix intends to widen access to more customers and regions in the coming weeks, while continuing to collect feedback and adjust how AI Discover responds to viewer choices.