Netflix tests AI Discover: themes, clips, US TVs only

Netflix is adding an AI-powered recommendation tool to its TV app. The goal, as the company frames it, is to cut down on endless scrolling and get people watching more shows and movies. Netflix calls AI Discover a testbed for features it might later fold into the core experience.

If the tool is on your account, a Discover tab with a red gem icon appears in the top navigation bar. Netflix says AI helps build the themes you see and that it will explain your results along the way.

The first thing Netflix is trying is theme-based recommendations. The tab shows a set of themes, each paired with a relevant clip from a show or movie. Themes can reflect who you're watching with, like a family movie night, or what you're in the mood for, such as a horror flick or a light comedy. They can also cover titles that won't eat up your whole evening, plus new and popular shows and movies and picks based on what you've watched lately.

After you choose an option, you can refine it with more specific themes, and you can refresh the set of themes on offer. One handy-sounding piece: you can tell Netflix not to recommend a title again, which should sharpen the suggestions and screen out what you don't want. You can also add titles to your list straight from AI Discover.

AI Discover starts on supported TVs in English in the US. Netflix says it will gradually reach more people in the coming weeks. According to Variety, the tab won't appear on kids profiles.

Netflix describes the tool as running on a new intelligence layer that responds to what members say in real time and keeps learning. It's the latest in a long line of recommendation features the company has rolled out over the years.