Ben Affleck admitted to utilizing artificial intelligence extensively during the production of his upcoming Netflix thriller Animals, though he has intentionally refused to disclose precisely where the technology was applied. Speaking with Bloomberg Screentime, the filmmaker argued that revealing those technical choices would ruin the illusion of reality essential to cinema, comparing it to a magician exposing a trick before a show.
Ben Affleck Uses AI to Accelerate Post-Production
- Ben Affleck confirmed to Bloomberg Screentime that Animals relied heavily on artificial intelligence during post-production to accelerate processes that would otherwise have been unfeasible.
- The film, a criminal thriller centered on the kidnapping of a Los Angeles mayoral candidate, premieres on Netflix on October 9, 2026.
- Affleck declined to specify which scenes or tools utilized AI, insisting that exposing the mechanics would destroy the audience’s immersion in the story.
Why Ben Affleck Is Defending Ethical AI Integration in Filmmaking
Because the movie is a grounded human drama rather than a science-fiction epic set in outer space, the technology was not deployed to generate fake performers or replace human labor. Instead, it functioned strictly as an efficient post-production toolkit designed to help the crew move faster.
He stressed that he rejected any software trained on copyrighted work belonging to colleagues or artists he admires. To circumvent ethical concerns, his team established a proprietary data set to ensure no outside information was extracted without consent. The 54-year-old filmmaker declared to The Hollywood Reporter that he would not use anything based on or learned from any copyrighted work, or an artificial intelligence created by a colleague or someone he admires, which is why they built their own data set so that extracting information from outside sources was unnecessary. He added that he has no interest in making movies where someone simply writes things and they pop out, stating his belief that will never happen in a way anyone cares about enough to watch, and noting he would not want to be part of it if it did. He explained to The Hollywood Reporter that he is already uncomfortable with how certain tech companies handle image and likeness, maintaining that giving these tools to people who actually make movies yields much better results, emphasizing that the technology was used as a specific toolset rather than to create fake people or replace anyone.
| Production Detail | Confirmed Fact |
|---|---|
| Director and Star | Ben Affleck |
| Project Title | Animals |
| Genre | Criminal Thriller |
| Platform Release Date | October 9, 2026 (Netflix) |
Pushing Back Against Industry Propaganda and Fear
Affleck emphasized that the software functions simply as another advanced form of computing and a natural continuation of technological progress within film and television.
Affleck Denies Netflix Requests Plot Repetition
The director and Matt Damon visited The Joe Rogan Experience podcast to explain that their experience with Netflix was completely contrary to a widely circulated remark made by Damon regarding the typical model of action films. Damon had stated that Netflix asked whether a large sequence could be placed in the first five minutes to retain audiences, and suggested repeating the plot three or four times in dialogue because viewers watch films while using their phones. Affleck denied that Netflix makes such notes, stating that Netflix would never do that. He acknowledged having heard many misguided notes from studios throughout his career, pointing out that bad notes existed long before Netflix as part of a business with a long history of executives telling creators to do the exact wrong thing.
A Major Multimillion-Dollar Sale to Netflix
The actor and director sold his artificial intelligence company, InterPositive, to Netflix for roughly 600 million dollars, an operation that has positioned him among the most vocal supporters of adopting this technology in Hollywood.
“He usado [inteligencia artificial] para muchas cosas en esa película. Me resisto un poco a señalar cuáles son, o siquiera a hablar de ello, porque en mi trabajo intentamos fomentar la ilusión de la realidad,” afirmou Affleck.
