Netflix has its own, impressive search powered by AI

These are Lowpass and Janko RoettgersA newsletter about the ever-changing technology and entertainment industry, created for the Seaside subscribers once a week.

A small group of Netflix viewers just discovered a new way to get movies and TV shows. The broadcaster recently began testing an AI voice search feature with some of its subscribers, prompting them to press the Netflix button on their remote controls to request their viewing recommendations.

Once viewers click the button, they are presented with a number of search suggestions, including words such as “I want to cry,” “rear viewer,” and “help me stay awake.” Each of these views leads to several groups of viewers, but there is also an “Ask” button with an image of the view. Select it, and you’ll launch an AI-powered voice search that provides natural language search recommendations.

I’ve had access to this new voice for a few days now, and I’ve found it amazing for two reasons: While it’s still in beta, it’s amazing in its ability to provide relevant and entertaining views for even the most esoteric requests. It also disables voice assistants and search features that are built into smart TVs and streaming devices, highlighting the power struggle between TV OS platforms and streaming services.

Netflix is ​​testing its new voice search feature with select members in the US. Even users with multiple devices running the same smart TV OS he said that he was able to find it on the small parts of those weapons.

Playing with this part for a few days, I was impressed with its ability to find the right options for different applications, from the obvious (“movies of the days of the ’80s” were sent). The Breakfast Club) directly (“I like Brian Eno’s music, what should I watch” Summary: Art).

I tested the feature more than people do on a daily basis, but it was able to provide solid feedback in response to unusual requests. I honestly decided to ask for “entertaining children’s TV shows of death” I could not get results. In fact, it helped List of Tragedy Events and Raising Dionwho were all on point.

“I had too much coffee today, what should I watch” which led to Netflix’s special offer of Sheng Wang’s “regular” and The Headspace Guide to Sleep. After I said “hurt people hurt people,” the Netflix show responded with “Hurt people hurt people. Here are some of the stories that have happened,” followed by comments from 13 Reasons and It’s OK Not to Be OK.

Interestingly, Netflix’s voice search doesn’t seem to be entering the customization engine right now. When you ask what you would like based on what you’ve seen recently, the app’s answer is “We can’t answer yet, but we’re working on it!” (Note: All answers are displayed as text. Netflix’s voice search doesn’t use its own text, which I didn’t have a problem with.)

Answers are often followed by suggestions to limit your results, including “unstable” and “too sweet.” However, reducing emotions in this way does not always work. A search for Cantonese funny returned many results. But when I followed Netflix’s suggestion to reduce the result and press the “more” button, the downloader tried to sell me. BoJack Horseman as “a Cantonese drama with a twist.”

There are some things that can improve Netflix’s voice search. When I asked for Blaxploitation movies, the app’s voice recognition system instead heard me asking for “black-bullying movies,” and refused to give me any results. Which, yeah, maybe the right choice.

The request for “pornographic TV shows” was also rejected, but Netflix gave me many suggestions when I asked for “TV shows”. This is in stark contrast to Google’s Gemini assistant on Google TV, who informed me that it would not fulfill this request, adding fearlessly: “I can help you find the right shows if you want.” This alone shows why a service like Netflix would want to have voice search instead of relying on content provided by your TV or streaming device manufacturer.

Another big reason why Netflix does its search is voice: The player wants viewers to stay in his show, and he promotes only Netflix. Users of the Smart TV OS platform like Google, Roku, and Amazon on the other hand want consumers to use their services, a global search that also promotes the results of their services and services from their partners who can make money with them.

This power struggle between platforms and publishers has been going on for years, and it has even extended to voice search. For consumers, the result has been confusing: If you press the microphone button on the remote while using Hulu or Disney Plus, you can get a search function that is built into your TV or streaming device, and the results of the program that you mix with other publishers. Do the same thing while browsing Netflix or YouTube, and you’re just browsing through the catalogs of the same programs.

Because of their market share, YouTube and Netflix have so much power that they can demand voice access that no small publisher has. All of these companies have taken advantage of this opportunity for speech-to-speech, essentially feeding your voice into the same browsers that you can also access remotely to search for the program by name.

With the emergence of LLMs, all of these services are now expanding this opportunity for voice support. YouTube he recently launched his AI communication toolsallowing viewers to use Gemini audio on devices made by Amazon, Roku, and others.

Just like YouTube’s launch, Netflix’s adoption of AI voice search shows that consumers can benefit if apps have access to a microphone. It doesn’t have to take a huge market share – or a popular button on your remote – for publishers to create such an experience.