Netflix has started testing a new feature called AI Discover, which aims to make it easier for users to find something worth watching instead of mindlessly scrolling through its catalog of films and TV series. The broad idea is that you simply tell it what you’re in the mood to watch, and the AI handpicks movies and TV shows accordingly.
Netflix says AI Discover has been built around themes, which help users narrow down their choices instead of going through a list of genre presets or content types. For example, you can pick themes like a family movie, something lighthearted, something scary, or something suited to a quick watch. Once you’ve selected a theme, the AI will dive into Netflix’s catalog and show you the right content.
As you keep scrolling through a themed selection, you’ll see even more theme choices, or you can tap the Something Different / Get More Choices button to see another batch of recommendations that fit the theme you’ve already described. Every film and TV show recommended by AI Discover will also have an accompanying Tune Your Recommendations option.
It lets you save a title as a recommended pick for you, or ask the AI to never recommend it again. Once you’ve said you don’t want something in your recommendations, the AI will remember it. So, the next time you ask it for a comedy film, that particular title won’t show up in the recommended batch.
AI Discover is rolling out to users in the US, but for now, it only supports English and is limited to the TV app. It’s also only available to a select group of users, though the test pool will expand in the coming weeks. If you’re already in that lucky batch, you’ll see the Discover icon with a “New” label in the top navigation row.