Ben Affleck confirmed on Wednesday at Bloomberg’s 2026 Screentime event that he used artificial intelligence “for lots of things” in his upcoming Netflix thriller Animals, though he declined to specify which elements incorporate the technology. The film, which stars Gillian Anderson, Steven Yuen, and Kerry Washington, is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on October 9.
Affleck Defends Ethical AI Use in Filmmaking
Speaking with Bloomberg reporter Lucas Shaw, Affleck explained his hesitation to disclose the exact applications of AI in the production. He compared the revelation to spoiling the mechanics of a magic show.
“I used [AI] for lots of things in that movie. 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 told 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. [And] this guy’s a plant.’ You know, it’s sort of ruined, right? But yes, we did use it, and in fact, I thought it was a good example of how to use AI ethically because it’s a very human movie.”
Affleck brings direct industry experience to the topic beyond his directing work. He previously sold his AI company, InterPositive, to Netflix for nearly $600 million. Because of this background, he views the technology pragmatically, suggesting that panic surrounding AI subsides once filmmakers spend time with the tools and gain a sense of control.
“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,” Affleck said. He added that he does not believe AI will ever allow a filmmaker to simply type in a prompt and generate a finished movie that audiences want to see.
Dispelling Viral Rumors About Netflix Notes
During the same conversation, Affleck addressed recent internet speculation regarding studio notes at Netflix. The rumor stemmed from an appearance he and Matt Damon made on The Joe Rogan Experience to discuss their collaborative projects.
Online summaries and pull quotes quickly circulated, claiming Damon had stated that Netflix requires filmmakers to place major action sequences in the first five minutes of a film and repeat the plot multiple times to accommodate distracted viewers.
Affleck dismissed the interpretation as a misunderstanding of Damon’s remarks on standard streaming formats.
“Somebody went ahead and did a pull quote, and it got picked up once, and it was, ‘Matt Damon says Netflix makes you tell the plot in the first five minutes,'” Affleck recalled. “If you just stop and think about it — I’m in this movie, I’m directing. Even if that were true, do you think I would go on Joe Rogan and be like, ‘They made me put all this obvious shit in my movie’? Like, it doesn’t even make sense.”
Affleck noted that while Hollywood executives frequently give counterproductive notes, the practice predates streaming platforms entirely. “I don’t know that I’ve ever met anyone who’s had a note that idiotic and brazen — and I’ve heard of a lot of idiotic studio notes. Idiotic studio notes long predate Netflix,” he said.
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