Streaming giant Netflix has announced the acquisition of InterPositive, the filmmaking technology company founded by Academy Award-winning actor, writer and producer Ben Affleck. The company develops AI-powered tools designed specifically for filmmakers, with a focus on supporting creative storytelling rather than replacing human artistry.

According to a Netflix press release, the acquisition will see the entire InterPositive team join Netflix, with Affleck himself coming on board as a Senior Advisor. The move reflects Netflix’s broader commitment to combining technological innovation with creative storytelling, ensuring that emerging tools continue to serve filmmakers and the creative process.

For more than two decades, Netflix has positioned technology as a means to help films and shows reach audiences worldwide. By integrating InterPositive’s capabilities, the company aims to further invest in creator-led innovation, placing filmmakers at the center of the evolving production landscape.

Affleck explained that the idea for InterPositive took shape in 2022, when he began closely observing the early use of artificial intelligence in film production. While the technology showed promise, he felt existing tools failed to understand the nuances of filmmaking — from lighting and lens distortion to the unpredictable realities of working on a production set.

To address this gap, Affleck assembled a small team of engineers, researchers and creatives to develop a controlled production environment where proprietary datasets could be created. Filming took place on a soundstage designed to replicate real-world production scenarios, enabling the team to build workflows that mirror the language and processes used by cinematographers and directors.

The company’s first model was trained to understand visual logic and editorial continuity while maintaining the cinematic rules filmmakers rely on during production. The technology was also built with safeguards intended to protect creative intent, ensuring that the tools remain supportive rather than intrusive in the artistic process.

Affleck emphasised that the models developed by InterPositive were intentionally trained on smaller datasets focused on filmmaking techniques rather than performances. This approach, he said, was meant to ensure that artists retain control and benefit directly from the technology, rather than having it interfere with the core human elements of storytelling.

Commenting on the acquisition, Elizabeth Stone, Netflix’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, said the company’s approach to artificial intelligence has always centred on serving the needs of creators and audiences. She noted that InterPositive’s tools were designed with filmmakers in mind and naturally align with Netflix’s vision of technology that supports creative expression rather than replacing it.

Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, added that the company’s relationship with artists has long been rooted in trust and collaboration. She said the partnership with InterPositive continues a tradition of innovation led by filmmakers themselves, ensuring that writers, directors, actors and production teams retain the power to shape how their stories are told.

For Affleck, joining forces with Netflix represents the next step in a broader technological evolution that has long accompanied filmmaking. From the invention of moving images to digital production, motion capture and virtual sets, he said new tools have consistently expanded the possibilities available to storytellers.

With InterPositive now part of Netflix, Affleck expressed optimism that the technology his team has developed will reach a wider creative community. The collaboration, he said, will help ensure that innovation in filmmaking continues to empower artists while preserving the human judgment and craft that define great storytelling.