Netflix Is Testing New AI Search Feature That Will Understand Your Viewing Moods
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Netflix is currently testing a new AI-powered search feature that it hopes will improve the way users discover content on the popular streaming platform, according to reports from Bloomberg and The Verge.
The new search capability, which is powered by OpenAI technology, will allow subscribers to use natural language queries beyond the usual actor, title, or genre searches. Instead, viewers will be able to search for Netflix content based on more specific criteria — even their mood. The service will then recommend shows and films from the streamer’s content catalog.
Some customers in Australia and New Zealand already have access to the new search feature, but only on iOS devices. A Netflix spokesperson told Bloomberg that the test will soon expand to several markets, including the United States.
Netflix spokesperson MoMo Zhou also told The Verge that the test will expand to the United States “in the coming weeks and months.” However, Zhou said there are currently no plans to expand the feature to other devices.
Netflix has been quietly working to improve how viewers discover content on the streaming platform. During the streaming service’s Q1 2025 earnings call, co-CEO Greg Peters discussed how important it is to improve content discovery on the platform.
“There is more room to improve the discovery and recommendation experience, and therefore provide more value for members, and therefore find the biggest audiences for our titles,” Peters said.
Viewers will not immediately see the new feature, even after it expands to other countries; it will instead be an opt-in feature. Netflix is apparently taking a slow and easy approach, as the feature is powered by Artificial Intelligence, which many Netflix subscribers may be slightly leery of.
“It’s early days for the feature and we’re really in a learn and listen phase for this beta,” Zhou said.
While The Verge has reached out to OpenAI for comment, the firm has not responded.
During an interview on the Decoder podcast last year, Peters was asked by The Verge’s editor-in-chief, Nilay Patel, about how the company was thinking about AI.
We have a long history of using machine learning and artificial intelligence in our recommender systems. We’ve been doing that for 20-some years. Again, we think that our job is to be proactive about understanding where there’s technical innovation. How do we use that both to serve creators, allow them to tell their stories in more compelling ways, and also then to serve our members better user experiences?
Greg Peters, Netflix co-CEO
In addition to new AI search features, Netflix is also working on other ways to improve the user experience, including a redesigned home page in the Netflix TV apps. According to Peters, this would represent the first major change in the interface in more than 10 years. The interface redesign will roll out later this year.
The new search interface is not the first time Netflix has made use of artificial intelligence, as the streamer has long used AI and machine learning, including its popular recommendation algorithm, which presents viewing possibilities based on a customer’s viewing history.
Netflix reported a 12.5% increase in revenue during the first quarter, earning $10.54 billion instead of the expected $10.52 billion.
