This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week.
Netflix has been building a new internal studio called INKubator that aims to use AI to produce short-form animated content: The streamer is hiring for a wide variety of roles, including producers, software engineers, and CG artists to staff INKubator, according to a number of recently published job listings.
Netflix has yet to publicly announce its plans for INKubator, which job listings also sometimes refer to as INK. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A handful of LinkedIn profiles suggest the unit quietly launched in March. Its leadership includes Serrena Iyer, who previously held strategy and operational roles at DreamWorks Animation, MRC Studios, and A24 Films.
INKubator is just Netflix’s latest push to use AI for production. Earlier this year, it acquired InterPositive, an AI startup founded by Ben Affleck. But while InterPositive is primarily focused on the use of AI in post-production, INKubator appears to go much further: A listing for INKubator’s head of technology calls it “our next-generation, creative-led, GenAI-native animation studio,” with plans to “bridge innovation with imaginative storytelling.”
INKubator’s long-term technology strategy will focus on “GenAI-enabled workflows, artist tooling, and scalable, secure multi-show environments,” according to the listing, suggesting that this is about much more than one-off experiments. “We aim to develop feature-quality content,” emphasizes another listing.
At least for now, Netflix doesn’t plan to produce the next KPop Demon Hunters with AI. Instead, INKubator will be all about “creating animated shorts and specials using experimental GenAI-native production pipelines,” as one of the listings puts it.
However, at least one job listing suggests the company is already considering taking the technology beyond shorts. INKubator’s head of technology will “ensure that INK’s technology investments accelerate creative ambition […] as we ramp up activity and aim to expand into longer-form content,” a listing for that position states (emphasis added).
Netflix could potentially use AI-generated short-form content in various ways. The streamer recently revamped its mobile app, adding a TikTok-inspired vertical video feed called Clips. At the moment, this feed only includes trailers, behind-the-scenes footage, and other promotional content for its long-form programming. However, one could imagine that the feed could one day also include original short-form stories, including AI-generated shorts.
The streamer has also been making a push to establish itself as a kid-safe alternative to YouTube by bringing creators like Ms. Rachel onto its platform. Generative AI could be one way for Netflix to further scale its kids programming and compete with a flood of videos targeting kids on YouTube.
YouTube-native studios have been among the first to use generative AI for animation. Animaj, the studio that produces the popular kids show Pocoyo, has been vocal about incorporating AI into its production pipeline since 2024. Toonstar, maker of the YouTube series StEvEn & Parker, also uses AI.
However, there has also been a significant backlash against the use of AI in animation. Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki famously called AI “an insult to life itself,” and labor unions representing animators from multiple countries organized a protest against generative AI at the 2025 Annecy Animation Film Festival.
Efforts to popularize the use of AI for animation beyond Hollywood have also faced setbacks. AI animation company Invisible Universe, which I wrote about last year, is shutting down its creator platform Invisible Studio by June 1st. Invisible Universe CEO Tricia Biggio told me in an email this week that her company was focusing on enterprise clients going forward.