Netflix paid $600 million for Ben Affleck’s AI company. Here’s what she actually does

One of Netflix’s biggest purchases

According to Bloomberg reports, the deal is “difficult” up to $600 million. The exact amount of cash that Netflix immediately paid out is somewhat lower, and the final figure will depend on future success and the fulfillment of set goals. Despiteč therefore, this acquisition ranks among the most significant Netflix investments ever, right next to the purchase of the Roald Dahl Story Company, for which they allocated around 700 million dollars. Affleck quietly launched the company in 2022 with the backing of investment firm RedBird Capital Partners, and now he is becoming a senior adviser at Netflix, while his entire team of sixteen engineers, researchers and creatives is joining the streaming giant.

A revolution in editing, not a movie making machine

The key question that arises is – what does InterPositive actually do? Unlike controversial generative AI tools that create brand new videos based on textual instructions, InterPositive is an advanced post-production tool. Its purpose is not to replace directors and cinematographers, butć to give them powerful tools for finishing more recorded material. The system works by taking all the raw material recorded on set (known as “dailies” in film jargon) and based on it, creates a unique AI model adapted exclusively to that film or series. This means that the AI ​​is not trained on other people’s movies or random videos from the Internet, it protects copyright and avoids the ethical pitfalls that accompany most of the AI ​​industry.

Ben Affleck emphasized that the system was designed to solve specific problems that he himself encountered as a director. The goal is not automation of creativity, butć removal of technical and logistical obstacles that often stand in the way of film vision.

‌- This is not about text commands or generating something from nothing. Build a model from your own material. That’s how it works. You have to create your movie first before you can even build a model around it using AI – explained Affleck in a video published by Netflix.

What can InterPositive do?

The practical possibilities of technology are impressive. The director may, weeks after the set has been dismantled, decide to change the lighting in a scene, remove a microphone shadow that accidentally fell into the frame, or digitally erase the braces that held the stuntman during an action scene. The tool also enables the correction of errors in continuity, such as a cup of coffee that mysteriously moves on the table between two frames. One of the most interesting options is the possibility of “reframing”, that is, changing the angle of the recording or framing, and even creating a frame that was missed during the recording, all using the data collected from the existing material.

– You can use your own model to remove blur in stunt scenes, reframe the shot, get the shot you missed, shape the lighting, enhance the background – explained Affleck.

‌- If you can remove some of those problems, yes, you can do it faster, you can do it easier, you give more choices, you give more opportunities, you get more episodes of your favorite series, you get more human work.

Hollywood is in fear, and Netflix is ​​strengthening its position

This acquisition comes at a time when Hollywood is nervous about the increasingly rapid penetration of artificial intelligence. Many filmmakers fear that studios will use AI to cut costs and eliminate jobs. Netflix, on the other hand, clearly shows its strategy with this purchase – instead of relying on external companies, it wants to develop its own, internal AI tools. This not only potentially reduces the cost of visual effects and speeds up production, butć and gain an advantage over the competition. Amazon is also developing its own AI teams for film and TV production, while Disney has partnered with OpenAI.

InterPositive’s technology is no longer just a concept. According to the available information, the famous director David Fincher alreadyć he used it in his upcoming film starring Brad Pitt. Netflix plans to offer the tools to its creative partners, but does not yet intend to sell them commercially to other studios. Thus, they keep the powerful technology exclusively for themselves, which could bring them a significant advantage in the coming years of streaming wars.