Netflix is testing new generative artificial intelligence features designed to help viewers find content more easily.
Speaking at the Bloomberg Tech conference in San Francisco, Netflix Chief Product and Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone said the company is experimenting with generative AI, natural language processing and voice-based interfaces to improve content discovery and recommendations.
“The more personalized, the more interactive, the more immersive” the viewing-selection experience becomes, the better Netflix can help users choose what to watch, Stone said.
Among the innovations being tested are mood-based searches and conversational recommendation tools. Rather than browsing through genres or titles, viewers could describe what they want to watch in natural language and receive tailored suggestions. Netflix is also testing a voice user interface to further simplify the process.
Stone said they wanted to address a common challenge facing streaming audiences.
“There’s so much content. How do I make sense of it, and what’s right for me, and what’s right for me in this moment?” she said.
The company’s AI experiments come as YouTube gains ground in viewer engagement. According to data from media analytics firm Digital i, average daily viewing per YouTube account across 20 international markets increased to 99.1 minutes in 2025, up from 87.2 minutes in 2024. Over the same period, average daily viewing per Netflix account declined from 100.5 minutes to 93.4 minutes.
The competition between these streaming services is increasingly centered on time spent watching rather than subscriber numbers alone.
Netflix co-Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos recently acknowledged this, saying: “YouTube is not just cat videos anymore. YouTube is TV.”
Television viewing has become a growing source of YouTube’s audience. According to The Guardian report, televisions accounted for 35% of YouTube viewing time in December 2025, compared with 28% in January 2024.
Despite the pressure, Netflix maintains a significant presence on the platform. Its official YouTube channel reached 78.2 million unique accounts last year, the highest reach recorded by any channel, according to the report.
Netflix’s use of generative AI differs from applications focused on content creation or workforce automation. Instead, the company is applying the technology to recommendation systems and user interfaces, with the goal of helping viewers find relevant content more quickly.
