Netflix acquired Ben Affleck's AI company for $587M
What's the story
Netflix has confirmed the acquisition of Ben Affleck's artificial intelligence (AI) company, InterPositive, for an estimated $587 million in cash. The deal was first announced on March 5 and later detailed in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company's Form 10-Q filing stated that "in March 2026, the Company completed an acquisition which was accounted for as a business combination for a total purchase price of approximately $587 million, consisting of cash consideration."
AI integration
Affleck led InterPositive as CEO
Founded in 2022, InterPositive was led by Affleck as its CEO. The acquisition also included the company's team, with Affleck continuing his association with Netflix as a senior advisor.
He had previously talked about the potential of AI in filmmaking, saying it would enhance creative work instead of replacing it.
"AI is going to disintermediate the more laborious, less creative and more costly aspects of filmmaking," he said in a video discussing this technology.
AI influence
Netflix on generative AI's impact on productions
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos was asked about the company's plans for InterPositive and if the acquisition would lead to long-term cost savings.
He said, "It's early days for InterPositive but we're broadly seeing that gen-AI is starting to have an impact across hundreds of our productions."
He added that "Gen AI workflows now have been used in roughly 300 of our titles, with the largest concentration to date in post-production."
AI application
Generative AI in action
Sarandos further revealed that generative AI is being used for complex shots and sequences, including large-scale crowd scenes and battle sequences.
This highlights the growing importance of this technology in modern filmmaking processes.
The acquisition of InterPositive by Netflix underscores its commitment to leveraging advanced technologies like AI to improve efficiency and creativity in content production.