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Netflix’s Stock Drops on Lackluster Earnings, but Its AI Implementation Is Going Way Up

Netflix’s Stock Drops on Lackluster Earnings, but Its AI Implementation Is Going Way Up

Netflix reported its quarterly earnings on Tuesday, and revenue was $11.51 billion—slightly below Bloomberg’s forecast of $11.52 billion. Earnings per share were $5.87, below an estimate of $6.94. (All of this is per Yahoo! Finance). Not catastrophic, but not great. The company’s stock price went down by 5.6%.

But hey, how about all that AI?

In its shareholder letter, and then again in its earnings call, Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters touted coming generative AI implementation as an exciting new development across content generation, user experience, and in advertising. All the AI talk made it feel like it was 2023 again.

To illustrate how much AI seems to be on the CEOs’ minds, at 26 minutes and 34 seconds into the earnings call, Peters gives an answer in which he rattles off what seems to be an ad-hoc list of six challenges Netflix faces as a company, starting with creating TV and movies around the world. Implementing AI is the second item he mentions.

The shareholder letter kicked off the topic of AI with what is actually a pretty big truth bomb: “For many years now, ML and AI have been powering our title recommendations as well as production and promotion technology.” That’s truer than you might think. All the way back in 2008, Netflix found a genuinely fun way to publicize its use of machine learning: by asking the public to figure out why some people like Napoleon Dynamite and others don’t, with math.

Much has changed since those days, and now Netflix says it’s shoehorning AI features into Netflix wherever it can. For instance, the earnings letter says a beta test is ongoing that adds a “conversational search” function, helping people “discover the perfect title for that moment.” The goal here sounds easy enough to picture without speculating too wildly. I can picture saying “What’s a movie to watch with my mom on her 50th birthday?” into a Roku remote and getting a list of recs.

On the techical side, Netflix says there’s an effort afoot to use AI to “localize” (which basically means “translate”) promotional assets into other languages and regions, which sounds like it could theoretically allow relevant—but obscure and foreign—movies and TV that I might love to come to me, even without readily available artwork and summaries in my language. Theoretically anyway.

But most of all, Netflix says it will be “empowering creators with a broad set of GenAI tools to help them achieve their visions.” For instance, the letter boasts that AI de-aging was used in Happy Gilmore 2, and that the producers of Billionaires’ Bunker used Generative AI tools for concept art.

But how does Netflix regard Sora 2, the video generator that plunged the internet into copyright hell upon its release last month? Sarandos, for his part, is not telegraphing some kind of rapid slopification at Netflix—and he hastens to add that he’s not intimidated by Sora 2 currently. According to Sarandos, “it’s likely to have a lot more impact on UGC creators the most in the near term. In other words, AI content replacing viewing of existing user-generated content. That starts to make sense.”

It’s worth noting that Sarandos is already trying to convince influencers to leave YouTube. If you’re a YouTuber who hasn’t already agreed to a Netflix deal, and you’re worried that Sora 2 is coming to eat your lunch, Sarandos’ suggestion that your business model is more vulnerable than his could be part of an effort to win you over.

But Sarandos says AI “doesn’t automatically make you a great storyteller if you’re not.” For once a tech CEO talking about AI doesn’t sound like he’s sharpening his layoffs ax. “We’re confident that AI is going to help us and help our creative partners tell stories better, faster, and in new ways,” Sarandos said, adding, “We’re all in on that.”

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William Gibson once famously said that “the future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.” It appears that the same goes for frontier AI models.

According to The Information, the White House told OpenAI it wants the company to release its next model in a limited fashion, to a select group of close partners.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly told staff that the company’s newest model, GPT 5.6, will be launched very differently than previous ones, with the government approving access “customer by customer.”

Following this limited release period, the company should be able to launch the model more broadly a “couple of weeks” later, says the report.

OpenAI competitor Anthropic recently had to pull its most powerful model, Fable 5, after Trump’s administration intervened to keep the model out of foreign hands. The company previously launched Mythos, an even more powerful model, as a limited release open only to a small set of pre-approved customers.

As for OpenAI’s GPT 5.6, the model is reportedly a “meaningful improvement” over GPT 5.5, both in terms of context window size and efficiency.

In a memo sent to employees, Altman reportedly said that GPT 5.6 is not the company’s preferred long term model, and that OpenAI will work with the government and others in the industry “to achieve a more sustainable approach for future releases.”

Want more tech news straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter.

#White #House #OpenAI #limit #launch #model">White House wants OpenAI to limit the launch of its next model
                                                            William Gibson once famously said that “the future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.” It appears that the same goes for frontier AI models. According to The Information, the White House told OpenAI it wants the company to release its next model in a limited fashion, to a select group of close partners. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly told staff that the company’s newest model, GPT 5.6, will be launched very differently than previous ones, with the government approving access “customer by customer.” 
Following this limited release period, the company should be able to launch the model more broadly a “couple of weeks” later, says the report.
        
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        SEE ALSO:
        
            Claude Fable 5 vs GPT 5.5: Is this why the Trump admin banned one and not the other?
            
        
    
OpenAI competitor Anthropic recently had to pull its most powerful model, Fable 5, after Trump’s administration intervened to keep the model out of foreign hands. The company previously launched Mythos, an even more powerful model, as a limited release open only to a small set of pre-approved customers.As for OpenAI’s GPT 5.6, the model is reportedly a “meaningful improvement” over GPT 5.5, both in terms of context window size and efficiency.  
In a memo sent to employees, Altman reportedly said that GPT 5.6 is not the company’s preferred long term model, and that OpenAI will work with the government and others in the industry “to achieve a more sustainable approach for future releases.”Want more tech news straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter.

                    
                                            
                            
                        
                                    #White #House #OpenAI #limit #launch #model

AI models.

According to The Information, the White House told OpenAI it wants the company to release its next model in a limited fashion, to a select group of close partners.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly told staff that the company’s newest model, GPT 5.6, will be launched very differently than previous ones, with the government approving access “customer by customer.”

Following this limited release period, the company should be able to launch the model more broadly a “couple of weeks” later, says the report.

OpenAI competitor Anthropic recently had to pull its most powerful model, Fable 5, after Trump’s administration intervened to keep the model out of foreign hands. The company previously launched Mythos, an even more powerful model, as a limited release open only to a small set of pre-approved customers.

As for OpenAI’s GPT 5.6, the model is reportedly a “meaningful improvement” over GPT 5.5, both in terms of context window size and efficiency.

In a memo sent to employees, Altman reportedly said that GPT 5.6 is not the company’s preferred long term model, and that OpenAI will work with the government and others in the industry “to achieve a more sustainable approach for future releases.”

Want more tech news straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter.

#White #House #OpenAI #limit #launch #model">White House wants OpenAI to limit the launch of its next model

William Gibson once famously said that “the future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.” It appears that the same goes for frontier AI models.

According to The Information, the White House told OpenAI it wants the company to release its next model in a limited fashion, to a select group of close partners.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly told staff that the company’s newest model, GPT 5.6, will be launched very differently than previous ones, with the government approving access “customer by customer.”

Following this limited release period, the company should be able to launch the model more broadly a “couple of weeks” later, says the report.

OpenAI competitor Anthropic recently had to pull its most powerful model, Fable 5, after Trump’s administration intervened to keep the model out of foreign hands. The company previously launched Mythos, an even more powerful model, as a limited release open only to a small set of pre-approved customers.

As for OpenAI’s GPT 5.6, the model is reportedly a “meaningful improvement” over GPT 5.5, both in terms of context window size and efficiency.

In a memo sent to employees, Altman reportedly said that GPT 5.6 is not the company’s preferred long term model, and that OpenAI will work with the government and others in the industry “to achieve a more sustainable approach for future releases.”

Want more tech news straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter.

#White #House #OpenAI #limit #launch #model
Amazon’s Prime Day is now in its third day, and whether you’re looking for a new pair of wireless earbuds or a smartwatch, there’s a good chance you’ll find a discount. The Apple Watch Series 11 has already dropped to a new low price, while the AirPods Pro 3 are discounted to $179. With Apple recently raising prices on several Macs and iPads, now may be one of the last chances to pick up the company’s hardware before those increases fully take effect. Some retailers are still offering discounts based on the previous list prices, making today’s deals even better. With that in mind, we’ve added several new tablet and laptop deals below.

Below are the best Apple deals currently available. Some are exclusive to Prime Day, while others are simply great discounts we think are worth highlighting. We’ll continue updating this guide throughout Prime Day, highlighting more deals as they become available.

Earbud and headphone deals

Update, June 25th: Adjusted prices and availability.

#Apple #deals #Prime #DayApple,Deals,Gadgets,Prime Day,Tech,Verge Shopping">The best Apple deals you can get during Prime DayAmazon’s Prime Day is now in its third day, and whether you’re looking for a new pair of wireless earbuds or a smartwatch, there’s a good chance you’ll find a discount. The Apple Watch Series 11 has already dropped to a new low price, while the AirPods Pro 3 are discounted to 9. With Apple recently raising prices on several Macs and iPads, now may be one of the last chances to pick up the company’s hardware before those increases fully take effect. Some retailers are still offering discounts based on the previous list prices, making today’s deals even better. With that in mind, we’ve added several new tablet and laptop deals below.Below are the best Apple deals currently available. Some are exclusive to Prime Day, while others are simply great discounts we think are worth highlighting. We’ll continue updating this guide throughout Prime Day, highlighting more deals as they become available.Earbud and headphone dealsUpdate, June 25th: Adjusted prices and availability.#Apple #deals #Prime #DayApple,Deals,Gadgets,Prime Day,Tech,Verge Shopping

Apple Watch Series 11 has already dropped to a new low price, while the AirPods Pro 3 are discounted to $179. With Apple recently raising prices on several Macs and iPads, now may be one of the last chances to pick up the company’s hardware before those increases fully take effect. Some retailers are still offering discounts based on the previous list prices, making today’s deals even better. With that in mind, we’ve added several new tablet and laptop deals below.

Below are the best Apple deals currently available. Some are exclusive to Prime Day, while others are simply great discounts we think are worth highlighting. We’ll continue updating this guide throughout Prime Day, highlighting more deals as they become available.

Earbud and headphone deals

Update, June 25th: Adjusted prices and availability.

#Apple #deals #Prime #DayApple,Deals,Gadgets,Prime Day,Tech,Verge Shopping">The best Apple deals you can get during Prime Day

Amazon’s Prime Day is now in its third day, and whether you’re looking for a new pair of wireless earbuds or a smartwatch, there’s a good chance you’ll find a discount. The Apple Watch Series 11 has already dropped to a new low price, while the AirPods Pro 3 are discounted to $179. With Apple recently raising prices on several Macs and iPads, now may be one of the last chances to pick up the company’s hardware before those increases fully take effect. Some retailers are still offering discounts based on the previous list prices, making today’s deals even better. With that in mind, we’ve added several new tablet and laptop deals below.

Below are the best Apple deals currently available. Some are exclusive to Prime Day, while others are simply great discounts we think are worth highlighting. We’ll continue updating this guide throughout Prime Day, highlighting more deals as they become available.

Earbud and headphone deals

Update, June 25th: Adjusted prices and availability.

#Apple #deals #Prime #DayApple,Deals,Gadgets,Prime Day,Tech,Verge Shopping

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