In a move that echoes the eerie themes of its own hit series, Black Mirror, Netflix has taken a bold step into making it a reality. The streaming giant is now on the hunt for a Product Manager – Machine Learning Platform, offering an massive salary range of $300,000 to $900,000 for the California-based position. While the company has been using AI for quite some time, this big position amidst strikes shows a lot of things about Netflix.
The job listing describes the position’s primary objective as “defining the strategic vision for the machine learning platform.” It appears as if Netflix is itself not sure of the roadmap they should use for AI. The applications of AI within Netflix are broad, from content creation and curation, personalization for users, to optimizing payment processing and revenue-focused initiatives. Netflix has been using AI to create custom thumbnails but the new venture is certainly bigger.
But the timing is really really bad. Given both actors and writers have been on strike since quite some time.
The strike actions began several weeks ago, with the WGA initiating their protest on May 1, and SAG joining the movement on July 13. Both writers and actors are against the use of unchecked AI.
One cannot help but observe the stark contrast between the salary offered for the new AI manager role at Netflix and the average annual earnings of actors, which hover around $47,000. It is clear that Netflix’s investment in AI and machine learning is prioritized over the well-being and demands of its creative workforce.
While AI undoubtedly presents numerous opportunities for streamlining processes and enhancing user experiences, it must not come at the cost of the very essence of the entertainment industry—the human creativity and talent.