Ben Affleck has quietly closed a deal that could reshape how movies and series are made, selling his artificial intelligence startup InterPositive to Netflix for a sum that could reach $600 million in cash and incentives. The Oscar-winning actor, known for films like Argo and Good Will Hunting, positioned the tool as a way to eliminate the most tedious technical and logistical tasks on set—things like lighting scenes, reframing shots, or enhancing digital backgrounds. According to Affleck, this frees up directors and writers to focus on what matters most: human storytelling.
But behind the polished narrative lies a patent filed under Affleck’s legal name, Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt, that details a production system trained on raw daily footage. The patent projects substantial savings—between 10 and 20 percent in overall production costs. The most severe cuts would hit the so-called below-the-line sector: lighting crews, art departments, visual effects teams, and especially extras and stand-ins, whose budgets could shrink by up to 70 percent.
Efficiency vs. Employment
Jason Fisher, a production consultant, told industry insiders that the real significance of this AI is its ability to automate tasks that traditionally required massive human teams. “The physical set becomes much more limited,” Fisher said, pointing to a future where fewer hands are needed on the ground. For Netflix, which spends nearly $18 billion annually on content, the appeal is obvious: the platform can charge a fraction of the optimized production costs while still delivering high volumes of episodes and films.
Netflix executives have defended the technology, arguing that it enhances creative possibilities rather than replacing people. Some renowned directors are already integrating these tools into upcoming projects to automate the creation of digital environments. Yet the recent SAG-AFTRA agreement, which includes protections against the misuse of synthetic performers, has done little to calm the anxiety of the millions of workers in rotoscoping, visual effects, and post-production who now face unprecedented technological competition.
This isn’t just a Hollywood story—it resonates deeply across Latin America, where many post-production houses in cities like Bogotá, México City, and Buenos Aires rely on contracts from major studios. If InterPositive’s technology becomes standard, it could upend livelihoods in countries where the film industry is a growing economic driver. The debate over AI’s role in cinema is no longer abstract; it’s a concrete threat to thousands of families from the Andes to the Rio de la Plata.
Meanwhile, Netflix continues to expand its footprint in the region, as seen in its upcoming June 2026 lineup featuring Diego Luna, Jennifer López, and the return of Avatar. The platform’s investment in AI could accelerate production of local content, but at what cost to the crews that make it possible?
The sale also raises questions about the future of filmmaking as a craft. For decades, the magic of cinema has relied on the artistry of set builders, lighting technicians, and visual effects wizards—many of whom are Latino professionals working in the U.S. and abroad. As AI takes over these roles, the industry risks losing not just jobs, but the cultural specificity that comes from human hands. A digital background generated by an algorithm can’t replicate the texture of a real mercado in Lima or the warmth of a fiesta in San Juan.
In the end, the InterPositive deal is a bet on efficiency over employment. Whether that bet pays off for Netflix—and for the audiences who crave authentic stories—remains to be seen. But for the thousands of Latino workers in the film industry, the clock is ticking.
