Netflix Uses ‘Unnecessary’ AI In ‘A Different World’ As It’s On Platform

A Different World is a 1980s sitcom that lasted over six seasons.

It was considered a comedic show that starred famous actors such as Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M. Bell, Cree Summers, and many more. Netflix recently added the sitcom back to its platform in high resolution while using some A.I.

As soon as it aired in February, people started pointing out issues with The Cosby Show spin-off. For example, people noticed that the characters’ faces changed in the background of the fictional HBCU, Hillman College.

A Different World isn’t the first time Netflix relied on A.I. In December, the company used it to morph the mouths of actors on La Palma to match it. After trying it in December, the company decided to go deeper into it.

“It all became clear in the background of Hillman College. Whether it’s Maggie, Jaleesa, Kimberly, or Ron, once familiar faces instead melted into unrecognizable visual goop,” said Salvatore Cento from MovieWeb.

Criticisms mainly arose on social media.

“This is ridiculous and so unnecessary. Many of us like the 80s/90s graininess because it adds to the charm and nostalgia of the show. I’m so frustrated about this!” said one Redditor.

In a TikTok video, Microsoft’s Vice President of the Developer Community, Scott Hanselman, explained how AI looks on the retro sitcom. He talked about a scene where a character goes through a door with the word “Resident Director” on it.

“Here’s the Netflix version; she runs over to the wall, goes over to the door there, and look at the words ‘Resident Director’; it looks weird. That’s where the machine learning or the A.I. upscale got confused, and you start getting these hieroglyphics, and it looks janky,” Hanselman wrote.

As the clip went on, he discussed the media in further detail.

“That’s the great thing about the internet. You can like niche content from 1986 and have great arguments about whether or not you should watch a different world on VHS, DVD, or laser disc. This is interesting stuff because it’s about digital archival,” he continued.

Also, in the video, he points out how characters’ faces change and then places a CRT filter over them to match the 1980s version.

“You can make one blurry pixel into four pixels or four pixels into 16 pixels, but you gotta have that information from somewhere,” Hanselman added.

Netflix hasn’t disclosed what upscaling methods were used to remaster the sitcom. According to Futurism, the company used AI to sharpen frames but with alarming results, according to viewers.

“The problem is AI upscaling image technology isn’t quite there yet,” Hanselman says.

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