Netflix just showed Hollywood what the future of filmmaking looks like, and it involves a lot less money and a lot more GPUs.
The streaming company’s new five-episode documentary series, The American Experiment, which premiered on June 24, features 17 minutes of AI-enhanced footage that was produced “twice as fast and at half the cost” compared to traditional methods, according to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. The series stars Martin Sheen voicing George Washington alongside contemporary political figures including Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, and Hillary Clinton.
The economics of AI-powered content
Netflix’s content budget tells a story of relentless escalation. Spending grew from $16.2 billion in 2024 to roughly $17-18 billion in 2025, and is now projected to hit $20 billion in 2026.
The technology isn’t being deployed in a single experimental project and then shelved. Netflix has applied generative AI tools across approximately 300 different titles, suggesting this is already baked into the production pipeline rather than treated as a novelty.
