Netflix has bought Ben Affleck’s AI-powered filmmaking company InterPositive

Netflix said Thursday morning that it has acquired InterPositive, the filmmaking technology company founded by actor Ben Affleck, in 2022.

The acquisition is in line with Netflix’s approach to using generative AI in filmmaking: the company has already used generative AI for special effects in some original content, and has assured investors that it is “very well positioned to effectively benefit from continued advances in AI.”

Affleck wrote in a statement that he began thinking about how artificial intelligence might impact the future of filmmaking in 2022. He says he wanted to “preserve what makes human storytelling human, which is judgment,” and sought to “protect the power of human creativity.”

InterPositive is not trying to create AI actors or provide artificial performances. Instead, the company has created a model that helps production teams work with footage from their own productions to help make adjustments in post-production, such as addressing continuity issues, making quick edits, or making improvements to the environment.

“Extensive research and development led to our first model, which was trained to understand visual logic and editorial consistency, while maintaining cinematic rules under real-world production challenges such as missing shots, background replacement, or incorrect lighting,” Affleck wrote.

“We’ve also put in place limits to protect creative intent, so the tools are designed for responsible exploration while keeping creative decisions in the hands of artists — and ensuring that the benefits of this technology flow directly to the story they’re trying to tell.”

Affleck joins Netflix as a senior advisor as part of the deal. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Our approach to AI has always been focused on meaningfully meeting the needs of the creative community and our members,” Elizabeth Stone, chief product and technology officer at Netflix, said in a statement. “The InterPositive team is joining Netflix because of our shared belief that innovation should empower storytellers, not replace them.”