Netflix Paid $587M for Ben Affleck's AI Filmmaking Startup InterPositive

Netflix has revealed in a regulatory filing that it paid $587 million in cash for InterPositive, the AI filmmaking startup co-founded by actor and director Ben Affleck. The streaming giant announced the acquisition in March but had not disclosed the financial terms until now. A Bloomberg report had previously suggested the deal could be worth up to $600 million.

Affleck, who has joined Netflix as a senior advisor along with the rest of the InterPositive team, stated that the company's AI tools are designed to assist filmmakers in post-production—handling challenges like missing shots, background replacements, or incorrect lighting. The goal, according to Affleck, is to “protect the power of human creativity” while using AI to address real-world production hurdles.

In its most recent earnings report, Netflix noted that around 300 of its titles have already incorporated generative AI, illustrating the company's growing reliance on the technology. The InterPositive acquisition fits into a broader trend of media companies investing heavily in AI tools to streamline production and reduce costs, though it also raises questions about the role of human artists in an increasingly automated industry.