Netflix has taken an unusual step in its technology strategy by acquiring InterPositive, an artificial intelligence startup founded by actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck, signaling a deeper push into AI-driven tools for filmmaking. The move stands out for the streaming giant, which has historically preferred building its own technology rather than purchasing outside companies.
InterPositive, a Los Angeles–based company quietly launched by Affleck in 2022, develops AI-powered tools designed to assist filmmakers during postproduction. While the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Netflix confirmed that the startup’s entire 16-person team of engineers, researchers and creatives will join the company. Affleck himself will also take on a role as a senior adviser following the acquisition.
Unlike many emerging generative AI platforms that aim to create video content from text prompts, InterPositive’s technology focuses on improving footage that has already been shot. Rather than generating scenes from scratch, the system analyzes raw production material to help filmmakers refine and manipulate footage during the editing process.
Affleck emphasized that distinction in a video released alongside Netflix’s announcement. He noted that many people think of AI primarily as a tool that produces content out of nothing by responding to prompts. According to Affleck, InterPositive takes a different approach, focusing instead on enhancing existing material captured during production.
The technology works by training an AI model using a production’s “dailies,” the raw footage recorded each day on set. Once the system analyzes the footage, it can assist editors and visual effects teams with a range of postproduction tasks. These include adjusting color grading, relighting scenes, adding visual effects elements, and correcting lighting inconsistencies that may have occurred during filming.
Affleck said the concept emerged after he spent time studying the early rise of artificial intelligence tools in film production in 2022. As a filmmaker, he observed that many early models failed to account for the complexities of real-world filmmaking, including the way camera lenses distort images or how lighting changes across a scene.
He argued that AI tools designed for creative industries must reflect the technical and artistic realities of filmmaking. According to Affleck, storytelling professionals require systems specifically designed to preserve the elements that make a cinematic narrative compelling, rather than generic software built primarily from a technological perspective.
To train its system, InterPositive created its own proprietary dataset by filming controlled scenes on a soundstage designed to replicate real production conditions. The aim was to develop AI tools that understand the language and workflows already used by directors, editors and cinematographers.
The startup’s first model was trained to recognize what Affleck described as “visual logic and editorial consistency.” It was designed to maintain cinematic continuity even when productions encounter common technical problems such as missing shots, background replacements, or lighting issues.
Affleck also stressed that the company incorporated safeguards to ensure that AI tools do not override creative decisions. He explained that the system was built with restrictions intended to protect artistic intent and to function as a support tool rather than an automated storyteller.
Netflix executives echoed that philosophy, framing the acquisition as part of the company’s broader effort to expand creative capabilities rather than replace human artists.
Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, said the technology would give filmmakers greater flexibility while preserving their creative authority. She noted that Netflix’s relationship with creators has always relied on trust and that new technological tools should enhance artistic freedom instead of limiting it.
Elizabeth Stone, Netflix’s chief product and technology officer, added that the company views InterPositive’s tools as fundamentally different from many generative AI systems currently emerging in the video space. According to Stone, most AI video platforms have been designed primarily by technologists rather than filmmakers.
Stone said Netflix’s approach focuses on serving the needs of creators and audiences alike. She explained that the InterPositive team shares Netflix’s belief that innovation should empower storytellers instead of replacing the work of writers, directors, actors and production crews.
The acquisition also hints at a broader strategic shift within the entertainment industry as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into film and television production. By investing in technology designed specifically for professional filmmaking workflows, Netflix appears to be positioning itself to control and shape how AI is used in its content pipeline rather than relying on external platforms.
At the same time, the growing influence of artificial intelligence continues to raise questions about how the technology may affect jobs across many industries.
A new study examining the use of generative AI in the workforce suggests that some professions may face greater disruption than others. The research, conducted by scientists at Microsoft, analyzed how AI applications such as Bing Copilot are being used in real-world work environments.
The study examined 200,000 conversations between users and Microsoft’s Copilot system, combining that data with measurements of task success and impact to calculate an “AI applicability score” for different occupations.
Researchers found that jobs involving communication, information analysis and administrative tasks tend to show the highest levels of AI use. Occupations in computer and mathematical fields, office and administrative support, and sales roles ranked among those most likely to incorporate AI tools.
The findings suggest that professions such as translators, text writers, historians, sales representatives and customer service agents may face higher levels of automation risk as AI systems become more capable of performing tasks involving language processing and information handling.
In contrast, occupations involving manual labor or specialized physical skills — such as construction equipment operators, railroad track layers, or floor sanders — showed much lower levels of AI integration.
The researchers noted that their work does not attempt to predict the total number of jobs that AI might ultimately replace. Instead, it focuses on identifying which professions currently rely most heavily on AI tools and which have seen the least adoption.
Debate over the technology’s long-term impact on employment remains divided. Some industry leaders warn that automation could eliminate large numbers of white-collar and entry-level roles, while others believe the technology will create new opportunities by taking over repetitive or routine tasks.
Dario Amodei, chief executive of AI company Anthropic, has suggested that advanced AI systems could eventually automate a significant portion of knowledge-based work. Meanwhile, entrepreneur Mark Cuban has argued that technological change historically generates new industries and jobs even as it disrupts existing ones.
For Netflix, the acquisition of InterPositive represents a more immediate step in adapting to AI’s growing influence within the entertainment sector. By integrating specialized AI tools directly into its production ecosystem, the streaming company is betting that technology can help filmmakers overcome technical challenges while preserving the human creativity at the center of storytelling.
Affleck said he sees the partnership with Netflix as an opportunity to expand access to tools designed specifically for filmmakers.
He added that he is excited to continue developing the technology alongside Netflix’s teams and hopes the collaboration will ultimately make these tools available to a wider creative community as the industry navigates the next phase of AI-driven innovation.