Ben Affleck has sold his AI company InterPositive to Netflix, which has ignited controversy after years of keeping his ownership under the radar.
Earlier this year, he told controversial podcaster Joe Rogan he did not think AI would have the capacity to “write anything meaningful” or make films “from whole cloth”. However, in a March 6th video announcing the deal, Affleck said he had changed his mind about AI; initially being worried about its potential impact, but now viewing it as a “really meaningful innovation”.
Affleck said InterPositive did not provide video generation tools such as Google’s Veo3 or OpenAI’s Sora – it was “not about text prompting or generating something from nothing” – but instead helped in the post-production process.
Announcing the acquisition, Netflix said: “We believe new tools should expand creative freedom, not constrain it or replace the work of writers, directors, actors, and crews.”
Affleck 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.”
He added, “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 will also be joining Netflix as a senior advisor as part of the deal – which if for an undisclosed sum.
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As the news, not only of the sale, but of Affleck’s ownership of an AI company, began to spread, online backlash also grew. Along with social media commentary on sites such as Reddit about the new information, news/commentary site The Ankler called Affleck out in and Instagram post – as creative industries across the world become increasingly concerned with protecting their work.
The post asked: “Why did Ben Affleck start an AI company in secret?” The caption reads: “The real AI fight in Hollywood isn’t about stopping the machines. It’s about control. Who owns the data? Who licenses the likeness? And who gets paid when it’s a digital version of a movie star on the screen?
“Unlike the generative models inspiring outrage across the industry, AI production tools and synthetic performances are increasingly embraced by the same public figures signing anti-AI letters. Affleck’s Netflix deal points to a future in which performers are essentially IP.”