Netflix has disclosed that it paid $587 million in cash to acquire Ben Affleck's AI startup InterPositive, confirming one of Hollywood's biggest artificial intelligence investments in a newly filed federal report.

The acquisition, completed in March, underscores Netflix's growing investment in AI-powered filmmaking tools as studios increasingly seek to streamline production while maintaining a focus on creative talent at the center of the process.

The streaming giant confirmed the purchase in its latest Form 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, revealing that it completed the acquisition for a total purchase price of approximately $587 million. The disclosure comes months after Bloomberg reported that the deal could ultimately be worth as much as $600 million for Ben Affleck and InterPositive's investors, with additional payouts tied to certain performance targets.

"From the invention of the moving image to the transition to digital, from motion capture to virtual production, technology has evolved alongside the artists who use it...Our shared commitment to continuing this legacy makes joining together a natural next step, in addition to Netflix's decades of experience applying and scaling technology responsibly,"Affleck said.

The remarks reflected the core idea behind InterPositive from its earliest days (via Vatiety). Instead of developing AI to generate films on its own, the startup focused on building tools that could help creative teams complete post-production work more efficiently while keeping artistic decisions in human hands.

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Founded by Affleck in 2022, InterPositive operated in stealth mode before its acquisition by Netflix. The deal brought the startup's 16-person team of engineers, researchers and creatives to the streaming company, while Affleck joined Netflix as a senior adviser.

Unlike many AI companies focused on generating entirely new images or videos, InterPositive's technology is designed to help filmmakers enhance post-production. Its tools allow productions to build AI models using their own production dailies, making it easier to handle tasks such as sound mixing, relighting shots and adding visual effects while keeping filmmakers in control of the creative process.

"We believe it takes great artists to make something great, and AI is not changing that...Movies are being made by people who make movies. AI provides them with better tools to make them even better,"Sarandos said.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos also highlighted the company's growing use of artificial intelligence during its second-quarter earnings call, revealing that around 300 Netflix titles have used some form of generative AI this year.

While describing the InterPositive acquisition as still being in its "early days," Sarandos stressed that the company's goal is to equip filmmakers with better tools rather than replace their work, echoing the vision the startup was founded on.

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