Netflix acquires Ben Affleck's AI film production company.

      InterPositive, a stealth company established by Affleck in 2022 that has never been publicly acknowledged, develops post-production AI tools based on real footage rather than text prompts. Netflix is set to acquire the company just as Hollywood unions engage in new contract discussions.

      For four years, Ben Affleck has managed a tech company that remained under the radar in Hollywood. InterPositive, the AI filmmaking startup he founded in 2022 and discreetly incorporated as Fin Bone LLC, made its public debut on Thursday morning, not through a product launch or funding announcement, but via Netflix's acquisition.

      The timing is highly significant. Netflix is currently navigating a turbulent phase in its mergers and acquisitions strategy, having recently withdrawn from a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery’s studios and streaming assets.

      The deal coincides precisely with Hollywood's above-the-line unions preparing for new contract negotiations with studios and streamers, including Netflix. As Deadline pointed out, issues related to AI and production are currently viewed as a contentious topic in the industry.

      Netflix is cognizant of this context. With the acquisition announcement, they released a five-minute video featuring Affleck alongside chief content officer Bela Bajaria and chief product and technology officer Elizabeth Stone, seemingly aimed at preemptively addressing concerns regarding whether Netflix is quietly automating jobs it had previously committed not to.

      What InterPositive actually does

      Affleck's explanation is measured and deserves to be considered on its own terms before forming an opinion. InterPositive does not engage in the typical AI filmmaking that people might envision.

      It does not create videos from text prompts, generate synthetic actors, or fabricate performances. Instead, its function is much more focused and practically beneficial for working directors and cinematographers.

      The company captured a proprietary training dataset on a controlled soundstage designed to mirror an actual production environment. From this base, it crafted a model trained to comprehend what it terms “visual logic and editorial consistency,” which, in simpler terms, refers to the composition, lighting, and editing of shots, as well as the principles that ensure footage flows cohesively when edited together.

      The outcome is a tool that works with a production’s own dailies rather than creating visuals from scratch.

      This means that a director can utilize InterPositive’s model to adjust lighting in a scene filmed under improper conditions, modify a background without the visual inconsistencies typical of compositing, eliminate visible rigging from stunt sequences, or salvage a shot that was overlooked on set.

      These challenges are precisely the ones that consume significant amounts of time and resources in post-production. Moreover, they are problems that have traditionally relied on human creative judgment; the tool assists in realizing a pre-existing vision, rather than deciding on how a scene should appear.

      “It’s not about text-prompting or generating something from nothing,” Affleck stated in the video Netflix shared with the announcement. “AI is often thought of as creating something out of thin air: I type something into a computer, and it gives me a film. That’s not the case here.”

      Why Affleck built it in secret

      Affleck is not primarily recognized as a technology entrepreneur. He holds an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and directed Argo, which won Best Picture at the 2013 Oscars. His interest in AI arose, as he noted, from observing the shortcomings in the industry around him.

      In 2022, he grew concerned about the trajectory of AI development in filmmaking, particularly the attempts by some tech companies to, in his words, “remove the human aspect.”

      To address this, he aimed to create the alternative he envisioned: tools that uphold what he describes as the “judgment” that professional filmmakers develop over decades.

      “The kind that takes decades to build, experience to hone, and that can only be possessed by humans,” he articulated in a statement shared by Netflix on Thursday.

      He refrained from mentioning the company publicly during those four years, despite becoming one of the more vocal advocates for AI in Hollywood, including a widely referenced appearance at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha summit in 2024, where he stated that AI “cannot write you Shakespeare” and that its role is akin to that of a “craftsman” rather than a “creative.”

      The audience received a philosophical insight. Meanwhile, Ben Affleck operated a company.

      Netflix’s strategic rationale

      For Netflix, this acquisition marks a rare maneuver. The company has typically favored developing technology internally rather than acquiring it. The last notable deal, prior to the failed attempt at Warner Bros. Discovery, was its December acquisition of Ready Player Me, an avatar creation platform.

      The InterPositive acquisition arose from discussions initiated by Affleck with Netflix executives last autumn, building on a relationship that previously produced The Rip, the action film he co-starred in with Matt Damon released in January, and was solidified this week with a first-look deal between Netflix and Affleck’s production company, Artists Equity.

      Netflix has confirmed that all 16 members of the Inter