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Netflix's data wizard says we're close to a future where algorithms know almost everything we want.
"A very realistic vision is we should get to the point where you just turn on your Netflix app and automatically a video starts to play that you’re very happy with," says Vice President of Innovation Carlos Gomez-Uribe. "If you’re not, you may have to flip once or twice and end up with something that you’re very, very happy with. Only in, say, 10-to-20 percent of sessions [will you] escape into ... browse mode."
Netflix has been creeping toward that goal for more than a decade.
There was the Netflix Prize, launched in October 2006, which aimed at predicting how much users would like videos. As the company shifted into streaming video, it turned to engagement data to predict what users really wanted to watch. Last year saw the introduction of a major new algorithm that chooses between other algorithms to find the best recommendation. And many more improvements big and small.
"It's just a matter of time," says Gomez-Uribe....
OMG. They know what I binge watch!