We’ve had Netflix for years, yet the streaming service still has the same annoying problem it might never be able to fix unless AI like ChatGPT comes in with an assist. It’s not as much a Netfix problem as a user problem. It’s our inability to quickly decide what to watch next, which leads to our constant need to keep scrolling, hoping that we might find something better to watch. We all do it, no matter how hard we try not to.
I find myself endlessly scrolling Netflix, both vertically and horizontally, even when I already had something in mind to watch. It’s even worse when I don’t know what I want to watch, especially if it’s been a while since streaming something on Netflix. The same goes for not remembering a movie or show name and hoping that scrolling is enough to find it.
That’s where tech like ChatGPT can come in handy. What if you could just tell Netflix what you’re in the mood for, and an AI-powered search would then surface the movies and TV shows that match your request?
It turns out that’s exactly what Netflix is working on. The company confirmed a partnership with OpenAI that involves building ChatGPT’s AI-powered search built into Netfix.
It was Bloomberg that first reported Netflix’s new AI search test for the streaming service.
The report said that Netflix search will let users “look for shows using far more specific terms, including the subscriber’s mood, for example, the company said.”
It’s not quite ChatGPT integration into Netflix, as the report refers to it as an OpenAI-powered search feature. But it’s close to that, as the only OpenAI-powered search product that we know of is called ChatGPT Search, an alternative to Google Search.
What seems to be clear is that the AI-powered search bar in Netflix might support natural language. The report noted that Netflix search would support queries “well beyond genres or actors’ names.”
Like other Netflix feature ideas, the OpenAI-powered search started testing in some markets before a wider rollout. These are Australia and New Zealand. The feature is opt-in, so users in those markets would have to enable it.
Given that Netflix is already testing the feature, it’s not surprising to see the company confirm the Bloomberg story. Netflix spokesperson MoMo Zhou told The Verge that the report was accurate and that Netflix will bring the AI search test to the US market “in the coming weeks and months.”
“It’s early days for the feature and we’re really in a learn and listen phase for this beta,” Zhou said.
Also, the feature is only working in iOS for the time being. That’s still a good start, as iPhone and iPad owners could use OpenAI-powered search inside the Netflix app to find the movies and TV shows they want to watch before continuing their viewing session on a larger screen.
As someone who watches Netflix and other streaming shows with ChatGPT by my side (just in case I have questions), I’d certainly appreciate having generative AI search support inside Netflix. Any other video streaming service could benefit from ChatGPT-like search support. We also doom-scroll on Disney Plus and other services. AI could help us make up our minds faster than ever.
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