Netflix paid $587 million for Ben Affleck's AI startup InterPositive

Netflix has acquired Ben Affleck's AI startup InterPositive for $587 million, as revealed in an SEC filing. The acquisition, completed in March 2026, aims to enhance filmmaking through AI while maintaining human creativity.¹²³⁴

InterPositive, founded in 2022, focuses on improving visual effects without compromising the artistic aspects of filmmaking. Affleck stated, “I knew I had a responsibility to my peers and our industry, to protect the power of human creativity and the people behind it.” The startup's tools allow filmmakers to build AI models using production dailies, enhancing post-production tasks like mixing and relighting shots.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos noted that about 300 productions currently utilize AI, primarily in post-production. He emphasized that generative AI is transforming the creative process, stating, “Gen AI is scaling quickly across the entire creative process, from concept to pre-vis through post and delivery.” The integration of InterPositive's technology has already shown promising results, with projects like the Tom Hanks-backed docuseries The American Experiment featuring 17 minutes of AI-enhanced footage produced twice as fast and at half the cost of traditional methods.⁵⁶

Despite the advancements, Sarandos reassured that Netflix is not looking to replace human creativity, asserting, “We believe it takes great artists to make something great, and AI is not changing that.” The acquisition also brings a 16-person team of engineers and creatives to Netflix, with Affleck joining as a senior adviser.

As part of the company’s Form 10-Q report, Netflix confirmed the acquisition price and noted that the total could reach up to $600 million based on performance targets.