Ben Affleck has confirmed that he incorporated artificial intelligence into his upcoming film Animals. He described the process as similar to a magic trick where an illusionist reveals a hidden element before performing.
The movie is set for release on Netflix on October 9 and was directed and co-written by Affleck himself according to Rolling Stone. Affleck stars as Mark Kimball who is a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped.
His co-star Kerry Washington plays his wife in the film.
Affleck said AI was used for several parts of the production but he declined to identify each use. He said the technology mostly helped during post-production and allowed the team to complete some tasks more quickly.
The project follows Affleck's earlier work with InterPositive which he founded in 2022. Netflix acquired the AI filmmaking company in March 2026 for about $587 million and Affleck became a senior advisor.
Affleck has explained how InterPositive developed its AI model using a proprietary dataset filmed on a controlled soundstage. He said he was concerned about models trained on work created by other filmmakers and wanted a system that protected creative ownership.
The model was designed to understand visual logic and editorial consistency while working with footage created by filmmakers themselves. Affleck said the goal is to support artists rather than replace them.
He also spoke about his approach to AI during a recent appearance connected to the film’s premiere.
Affleck emphasized that Animals is a deeply human story with no space-based settings or visual effects. He said the technology helped the production move faster without changing the human focus of the movie.