Netflix acquires Ben Affleck's AI film-tech firm

Netflix said on Thursday it has acquired InterPositive, a filmmaking technology company founded by Academy Award winner Ben Affleck that produces artificial intelligence-powered tools for movie production.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The media industry is warming up to the ‌idea of ⁠using ⁠AI for content and storytelling, a major pivot from Hollywood's earlier ​concerns about the new technology challenging creative jobs and intellectual property ​rights.


Late last year, Disney announced plans to allow OpenAI to use characters from its Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel franchises in the startup's ⁠Sora AI ‌video generator.

"We believe new tools should ​expand creative ​freedom, not constrain it or replace the ⁠work of writers, directors, actors, and crews," Netflix ​Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said.

The acquisition is the streaming giant's first since backing out of a high-stakes race to acquire Warner Bros Discovery's studio and streaming assets after Paramount Skydance's rival bid was deemed as superior.

Affleck, director and star of ‌Oscar-winning film "Argo", founded InterPositive in 2022 by creating an AI model trained to understand visual logic and editorial consistency, ⁠while maintaining cinematic rules under real-world production challenges such as missing shots or incorrect lighting.

"We also built in restraints ​to protect creative intent, so the tools are designed for responsible exploration while keeping creative decisions in the hands of artists," Affleck said.

Affleck will be joining Netflix as a senior advisor.