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Netflix Acquires Ben Affleck’s AI Film Tech Company, InterPositive
In a move set to shake up the film production landscape, Netflix announced Thursday its full acquisition of InterPositive, a film technology company quietly launched in 2022 by none other than actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck. Affleck, known for his work in front of and behind the camera, had become increasingly focused on the potential of artificial intelligence in film, leading him to found the startup.
InterPositive’s core mission, centered on developing “AI-powered tools built by and for filmmakers” to “protect and expand creative choice,” will now be exclusively for Netflix. The streaming giant stated in a news release that it is “investing in creator-led innovation that keeps filmmakers at the center of the process.”
As part of the acquisition, Netflix will integrate InterPositive’s entire team and retain Affleck as a senior advisor. Elizabeth Stone, Netflix’s chief product and technology officer, commented on the merger, stating, “The InterPositive team is joining Netflix because of our shared belief that innovation should empower storytellers, not replace them. InterPositive’s impressive technology is purpose-built for filmmakers and showrunners to work with tools that naturally support their creative visions and how they want to bring them to life.”
Affleck, whose notable films include “Argo,” “Pearl Harbor,” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” founded InterPositive after observing the shortcomings of existing AI technology in film production. The 53-year-old actor emphasized his desire to keep “storytelling human” when launching the company. He collaborated with a team of engineers to develop a proprietary dataset on a controlled soundstage, mimicking a real production environment, to build InterPositive’s initial AI model.
Affleck described the model as “trained to understand visual logic and editorial consistency, while preserving cinematic rules under real-world production challenges like missing shots, background replacements or incorrect lighting,” all while ensuring “creative decisions remain in the hands of artists.”
This deal comes at a time when much of Hollywood remains critical and skeptical of AI technology and the larger companies operating within the space, making Netflix’s move a significant statement on the future of film production.