Netflix said Thursday that it is acquiring InterPositive, a filmmaking technology company founded by actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck in 2022, signaling the streaming giant’s continued push to integrate artificial intelligence into film and television production.
The deal underscores Netflix’s broader strategy around generative AI. The company has already experimented with the technology in certain productions for visual effects and has told investors it is “very well positioned to effectively leverage ongoing advances in AI.”
Affleck launched InterPositive after beginning to think seriously about how artificial intelligence might reshape filmmaking.
“I began thinking about how AI would impact the future of filmmaking in 2022,” Affleck said in a statement. His goal, he added, was to “preserve what makes human storytelling human, which is judgement,” while also seeking to “protect the power of human creativity.”
Unlike some AI startups focused on creating digital actors or synthetic performances, InterPositive is designed to assist filmmakers during post-production. Its system allows production teams to work with footage from their own projects to solve technical problems during editing.
The technology can help address continuity issues, adjust lighting inconsistencies or modify environmental elements — tasks that typically require extensive visual effects work.
“Intensive research and development led to our first model, trained to understand visual logic and editorial consistency, while preserving cinematic rules under real-world production challenges such as missing shots, background replacements or incorrect lighting,” Affleck wrote.
He emphasized that the system was designed with creative safeguards in place.
“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 — and ensuring that the benefits of this technology flow directly back to the story they’re trying to tell.”
As part of the acquisition, Affleck will join Netflix as a senior adviser. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Netflix executives framed the move as part of the company’s broader philosophy that AI should support — not replace — human creators.
“Our approach to AI has always been focused on meaningfully serving the needs of the creative community and our members,” Elizabeth Stone, Netflix’s chief product and technology officer, said in a statement. “The InterPositive team is joining Netflix because of our shared belief that innovation should empower storytellers, not replace them.”
