Today, Netflix has announced a new conversational content finder called Max. The service, which Netflix calls “the child of Siri and HAL 9000,” is a quick way to find content to watch on Netflix. The service provides suggestions via advanced rating and genre selection systems that work with the user.
Today we started rolling out Max, a new experience on PlayStation 3 that helps you find something great to watch in a fun, conversational way. You’ll find Max on the third or fourth row of the main Netflix screen on your PS3, where Max beckons you to enter his world with one of his many funny call outs. Click on the row and you’ll engage Max’s services. Max, rumored to be the child of Siri and HAL 9000, asks a few questions about your mood or movie and TV show tastes to arrive at a suggestion, of course based on your tastes and taking advantage of the Netflix algorithms that predict what you’d enjoy watching. One of the experiences Max offers is called the “ratings game,” where you pick a genre to fit your mood and then rate a few titles on the familiar Netflix five star scale. Sometimes, when Max feels particularly confident, he will offer a fun, personalized suggestion after asking only one simple question. Here Max asks you to pick between two highly specific genres that are personalized and use the very detailed tags we have on all of the shows and movies that are available on Netflix. Other times, when intoxicated by past success, Max will get a little cocky and offer a suggestion right away, no questions required. The catch…this is a mystery suggestion and you’ll just have to press play and trust him.
The service is arriving first on Sony’s PlayStation, and Netflix says that Apple’s iPad is likely the next stop for Max. It is currently exclusive to customers in the United States. Video of Max in action is below:
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