Comments made by the co-creator of Outer Banks about artificial intelligence have resurfaced as the Netflix show faces allegations that AI was used in season five. The fifth and final season of the teen adventure series landed last Thursday, and beyond the JJ (Rudy Pankow) chat, fans have noticed a number of photos that they believe were created using generative AI. In episode five, Sarah and John B investigate her mother’s past, where we’re shown an old Cameron family portrait. The episode prior ends with Sarah showing the gang a snap of Rose and her new boyfriend Groff. Credit: Netflix Both of these photos have fans in stitches, with many accusing them of being AI-made. Instagram user Omardoodahgrimes showed the pics and said, “What’s up with Outer Banks using AI?… Sarah Cameron’s mum is AI.” There are multiple TikTok videos presenting these examples too, with one writing, “This show cannot be fr.” Others have criticised the editing of certain scenes, with one in particular circulating online, as it appears that the crown was shoehorned into a backpack digitally: watching the final season of outer banks and they couldn't even be bothered to make a prop… they digitally slapped a crown onto the bag in the most shameless way lmaooo and then all the hurricane damage shown is just low-res AI slop like JUST CHEAP AND NASTY pic.twitter.com/6nzLocYeaz — ★ (@POPin4k) August 22, 2026 Although the creators haven’t confirmed or denied whether AI was used in the making of the Netflix show, in light of the recent conversation, comments made by Outer Banks co-creator Josh Pate have resurfaced. Outer Banks co-creator urged filmmakers to ‘embrace AI’ Last April, student group Princeton Pictures hosted a Q&A with Pate, who argued that many of the creatives who currently write and edit scripts are lacking the required skill to work with innovative filmmakers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carolina Alumni (@carolinaalumni) His advice was for filmmakers to lean into the use of AI to compensate for the skills gap without entirely eradicating the workforce. “The people that could do it the old fashioned-way are kind of useless, and I’m dealing with a lot of these guys,” Pate said. “So let’s quit making regular movies and embrace AI at the same time.” He went on to give an example, saying, “One of the films I’m working on, we’re looking at trying to rotoscope an aspect of the shot and using AI to make that smoother, and use the motion tracking and after effects, which, a couple years ago, we would not be able to.” Pate said having an AI tech assistant benefitted the production team, adding, “It makes it [editing] a lot easier.” These comments were shared on Reddit amid the release of Outer Banks season five, and it’s safe to say that people have thoughts. As one person wrote, “Explains why the show sucks now.” Another agreed, “Makes sense the show went to sh*t when AI was released.” Josh Pate, one of the creators of Outer Banks, about embracing AI in film and television byu/Olryo inOuterBanksNetflix “I knew everyone started acting out of character ever since season 3, coincidentally around the generative AI boom,” added a third. “I don’t care if someone likes or hates AI, can you believe a Netflix writer might be making a machine that steals everything influence your favorite characters. Is that alright with you? Because I’m tired.” A fourth theorised, “They made something beautiful with OBX season 1 and 2, got overconfident, started using AI, and think their success will carry over to everything they make, including AI slop.” As said, it’s unclear whether Outer Banks did utilise AI, but it’s clear where fans stand on the idea of it being used in any creative capacity. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: Netflix Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
