After spending years quietly developing AI tools for Hollywood, Netflix wants in
Netflix is doubling down on artificial intelligence in filmmaking, announcing just this week that it has acquired InterPositive, a secretive AI production startup founded by actor and director Ben Affleck. According to Bloomberg, people familiar with the matter have priced the deal at around $600 million.
The deal brings the entire 16-person InterPositive team into Netflix, with Affleck himself stepping into a senior advisory role, though financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
For Netflix, the move represents a strategic push into AI-powered production technology – tools designed to streamline and enhance the creative process behind the scenes.
For Affleck, the deal turns several years of quiet research and development into a formal partnership with one of the world’s largest streaming platforms.
The stealth startup built for Hollywood
Founded in 2022, Affleck has largely kept InterPositive under wraps for the past four years, quietly developing AI tools designed specifically for film and television production.
Affleck is also listed as an inventor on multiple patents tied to the company’s technology. The systems focus on AI models trained using raw production footage – known in the industry as “dailies” – alongside cinematic metadata.
The goal is to reportedly build AI that understands filmmaking language and workflows, which is an approach that assist with a number of post-production tasks, from removing stunt wires and reframing shots to relighting scenes and enhancing backgrounds without losing creative intent.
“In 2022, I spent a lot of time observing the early rise of AI in production,” Affleck said in a statement. “For artists to apply these tools towards telling the stories we dedicate our lives to, they need to be purpose-built to represent and protect all the qualities that make a great story.”
Netflix, however, has said it does not currently plan to sell InterPositive’s technology commercially. Instead, the tools will be used internally for productions and made available to the streamer’s creative partners.
A strategic move for Netflix – and Ben Affleck
AI tools like those developed by InterPositive could lower technical barriers for filmmakers by automating or accelerating tasks that traditionally require extensive visual effects work.
But the technology also raises concerns across Hollywood’s labor ecosystem. Many of the processes InterPositive targets – such as cleanup, compositing, and visual adjustments – are currently handled by skilled VFX artists and post-production professionals.
Hollywood unions have made AI protections a major focus in recent contracts, pushing for rules around consent, transparency, and compensation when AI systems are used in production workflows.
As AI tools move deeper into filmmaking pipelines, Netflix’s acquisition of Ben Affleck’s InterPositive underscores how studios are embracing new technology – even as the balance between efficiency and creative labor remains an active point of negotiation across the industry.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect the latest financial figures relating to the deal.
