Netflix tests search function with OpenAI technology
Streaming provider Netflix is currently testing an AI-supported search that will incorporate various new criteria.
(Image: Bernardo Ramonfaur/Shutterstock.com)
Users will soon be able to have content suggested to them on Netflix based on criteria such as their mood – The streaming provider is testing a new search function based on artificial intelligence from OpenAI.
According to a Bloomberg report, the new function is available as an opt-in for the first users in Australia and New Zealand. A test phase in other countries is also expected. However, neither Netflix nor OpenAI have released any official information, such as the exact functionality of the new AI search (as of April 13, 2025). However, Sudarshan Lamkhede, AI researcher at Netflix, publicly confirmed the project in a post on LinkedIn. It looks very much as if the new search function will be based on a Large Language Model (LLM), or at least on something that is strongly based on it. Accordingly, the new search function should also be able to accept much more specific search queries.
Netflix is working on a new basic model
It would also fit in with a research article that Lamkhede and others recently published on the Netflix Tech Blog. In it, the authors describe the development of a basic model for Netflix recommendations in order to cope with the growing complexity of numerous specialized models. Previous challenges included high maintenance costs, difficult innovation transfer between models and limited temporal capture of user interactions.
Inspired by Large Language Models (LLMs), Netflix pursues a data-centric approach with semi-supervised learning, according to the authors. The model processes comprehensive user interactions through special "tokenization", whereby meaningful events are identified and enriched with relevant context and content information. Unfortunately, it is not clear from the article whether this means that an AI determines the mood of users in the background or whether they have to specifically communicate this to the AI via a prompt.
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There are also initial discussions about the new AI search on Reddit. The response here is rather critical, with several users pointing out previous weaknesses of the search, such as insufficient filter options. One user complains that he finds it difficult to search specifically for films from the 1980s with the previous search. Another would like to filter by things like year of release or IMDb ratings. It remains to be seen whether such needs can be met with the new basic model.
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