Netflix Rolls Out AI Discovery Tool As Test Kitchen For Viewers

Netflix has introduced a new tab on its TV app giving a subset of its subscriber base an AI-driven way to discover new programming.

AI Discover, as the new offering is known, builds on the streaming giant’s previous efforts to serve up recommendations. It invites users to provide input about their mood and interests and then curates a set of programming they may want.

“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,” the company wrote in a blog post. “Some may even make their way into the main Netflix experience.”

Since its early years as a DVD-by-mail purveyor, Netflix has leaned into technology and algorithms to match programming to individual subscribers. The stakes have grown considerably of late, and Netflix is introducing AI Discover at the same time it navigates a challenging period. The company last month laid off about 1,000 workers, roughly 6% of its staff, and also let go of Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria and several other veteran executives.

Peter Rice, a former high-level executive at Disney and Fox, came aboard to replace Bajaria and is tasked with getting Netflix back to its hitmaking ways after a couple of years of slower growth.

Several recent press reports have spotlighted internal tensions at the company between the Silicon Valley engineering teams and L.A.-based programming troops. Netflix’s user interface has long been state-of-the-art, but more recently executives have reportedly been overriding the famous algorithm in order to boost certain titles or genres.

AI Discover features a way for users to “tune” their recommendations in order to not get certain series or films served to them. The blog post said the new tool is an augmentation of existing ways for viewers to sift through programming.

“There’s more to enjoy and discover on Netflix than ever, but what sounds right for a quiet night in may look different for family movie night or a few spare minutes,” the post said. “We’ve spent years refining how you discover, with recommendations tailored to your tastes, from what you Thumbs Up to what you add to ‘My List.’ Now, AI Discover joins the mix as a new way to explore.”