‘Animals,’ in which Affleck costars with Kerry Washington, is “a very human movie,” he said

NEED TO KNOW

• Ben Affleck said at a recent event that he used artificial intelligence “for lots of things in” his new movie Animals
• “I’m a little bit hesitant to point out what they are — or even talk about it,” admitted the filmmaker
• Affleck previously sold his AI-powered tech startup InterPositive to Netflix, assisting in the streamer’s post-production processes

Ben Affleck is embracing artificial intelligence in filmmaking. 

“I used [AI] for lots of things in that movie,” the actor-director said of Animals (in select theaters and on Netflix Oct. 9) at Bloomberg’s Screentime Event, per The Hollywood Reporter. 

“I’m a little bit hesitant to point out what they are — or even talk about it — because in my business, we’re trying to foster the illusion of reality, right?” Affleck, 54, told Bloomberg reporter Lucas Shaw. 

“It’s sort of like if you went to a magic show and the magician walked out and said, ‘Just before I start, I want you to know there’s another bunny under here,’ ” quipped the Good Will Hunting Oscar winner.

Affleck directed Animals and co-wrote the thriller with Connor O. McIntyre and Billy Ray. The father of three stars as a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son is held for ransom by unknown kidnappers. He acts in the movie alongside Kerry Washington, Steven Yeun, Gillian Anderson and more.

“It’s a very human movie,” the filmmaker said of the project, which he called “a good example” of how to use AI ethically. 

“It’s another form of computing… a technological advancement that’s really in keeping with the longstanding series of technological improvements we’ve made in the film and television business,” said Affleck, who reportedly added that he doesn’t believe AI will be able to “make a movie that people want to see” based only on a typed prompt. 

In March, Affleck sold his AI-powered tech startup InterPositive to Netflix. The producer-star of The Rip announced his small team’s plan to use the technology they’ve developed to assist with post-production on the streamer’s projects. 

“For artists to apply these tools towards telling the stories we dedicate our lives to, they need to be purpose-built to represent and protect all the qualities that make a great story,” he said in a statement at the time. 

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InterPositive was founded, Affleck continued, because he “had a responsibility to my peers and our industry, to protect the power of human creativity and the people behind it.” 

Animals is in select theaters and on Netflix on Oct. 9.

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