Netflix is expanding its presence in AI-driven filmmaking with the acquisition of InterPositive, a technology company quietly founded by actor and director Ben Affleck.
The deal brings Affleck and the full InterPositive team into Netflix, with the actor joining as a senior adviser. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
InterPositive, established in 2022, develops AI tools designed to assist filmmakers in creating content efficiently while preserving the artistic integrity of their work. Affleck explained in a Netflix post that the company aims to protect human creativity in an era of rapidly advancing technology.
“From the invention of the moving image to digital filmmaking, technology has evolved alongside the artists who use it,” he wrote.
The AI system created by InterPositive is trained to understand visual logic and editorial consistency, managing challenges such as missing shots, background replacements, or incorrect lighting. It is focused on supporting filmmaking techniques rather than altering actors’ performances. Directors can also customise the system for individual projects by uploading dailies.
Netflix executives emphasised that the technology is intended to empower creative professionals rather than replace them. Chief content officer Bela Bajaria stated, “Our relationship with artists has always been grounded in trust.
Ben and his team at InterPositive are part of a long tradition of artists leading the way in innovation. Their work gives filmmakers more choices, more control, and more protection for their vision.”
Elizabeth Stone, Netflix’s chief product and technology officer, added that the company’s goal is to integrate AI tools that support storytellers while keeping human creativity at the centre of filmmaking.
Affleck already has a close working relationship with Netflix. His production venture, Artists Equity, recently signed a first-look streaming deal with the platform, and his next directorial film, Animals, starring himself alongside Kerry Washington and Gillian Anderson, is scheduled for release later this year.
Affleck has spoken publicly about his interest in AI in filmmaking, noting that the technology could streamline labour-intensive processes, reduce production costs, and open opportunities for new voices in cinema. “What AI is going to do is disintermediate the more labourious, less creative and more costly aspects of filmmaking,” he said in 2024, “allowing more people to bring their stories to life.”
This acquisition is one of Netflix’s rare purchases of an external technology company. The streamer has traditionally built such tools internally, with its most recent acquisition before this being Ready Player Me, a digital avatar creation platform bought in December 2025.
