Netflix is buying Ben Affleck’s AI startup


Today, Netflix announced that it has acquired InterPositive, Ben Affleck’s AI company that specializes in tools for film and television production. The deal will see all 16 of InterPositive’s current team of engineers and researchers move over to Netflix. Affleck is also set to join the streamer as a senior adviser.

In a statement about the acquisition and his reasons for founding InterPositive in 2022, Affleck said he was inspired to get into the tech space after “observing the early rise of AI in production” and finding many of the tools lacking. Affleck felt that he “had a responsibility to [his] peers and our industry, to protect the power of human creativity and the people behind it.” And he thinks that Netflix’s history of “applying and scaling technology responsibly” makes them the ideal partner to take InterPositive to the next level.

“I wanted to build a workflow that captures what happens on a set, with vocabulary that matched the language cinematographers and directors already spoke and included the kind of consistency and controls they would expect,” Affleck explained.

Unlike AI models designed to generate visual outputs based on text, InterPositive’s tech is focused on ingesting dailies (raw footage from in-progress productions) and creating assets that can then be incorporated into the post-production process. In a video with Netflix’s chief technology officer Elizabeth Stone and head content officer Bela Bajaria, Affleck said that using InterPositive’s customized models can enable filmmakers to more effectively mix, color correct, and develop special effects for their projects.

The models can be used to manipulate backgrounds, reframe shots, and edit out visual elements like stunt wires that shouldn’t be visible. Affleck says that this can all be done more quickly and easily using his company’s product. But he also emphasized that InterPositive’s models are meant to help actors focus on their performances without worrying about “all the logistical, difficult, technical stuff.”

InterPositive’s main selling point is that, because its models are trained specifically on individual projects, they can produce assets that are unique and tailored to a filmmaker’s vision. The models need dailies in order to churn out anything useful, which means they also need humans. Netflix has yet to announce when and how it will deploy InterPositive’s tech with its internally developed projects. But when the time comes, the streamer is likely banking on audiences not knowing or caring that they’re watching more films and series crafted with AI.



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Pokopia made me look at Pokémon’s high-tech future in a whole new way

    Pokémon Pokopia features, of all things, a 3D printer. I wasn’t sure why this surprised me so much, given all the other high-tech gear in pretty much every Pokémon game.…

    The Boys S5 trailer tees up a bloody final season

    In the fifth and final season, it’s Homelander’s world, completely subject to his erratic, egomaniacal whims. Hughie, Mother’s Milk, and Frenchie are imprisoned in a “Freedom Camp.” Annie struggles to…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Watch Alysa Liu design would-be Olympic Instagram post

    Watch Alysa Liu design would-be Olympic Instagram post

    Pokopia made me look at Pokémon’s high-tech future in a whole new way

    Pokopia made me look at Pokémon’s high-tech future in a whole new way

    Yamamoto To Pitch Three Innings in First WBC Outing

    Yamamoto To Pitch Three Innings in First WBC Outing

    TBH I hate the MAID discussion because I don’t…

    TBH I hate the MAID discussion because I don’t…

    ‘Downturn diet’? The crunch on fast food chains as consumers seek deals – National

    ‘Downturn diet’? The crunch on fast food chains as consumers seek deals – National

    Trump fires Homeland Security Secretary Noem after mounting criticism over her leadership

    Trump fires Homeland Security Secretary Noem after mounting criticism over her leadership