Netflix paid nearly $600m for Ben Affleck's AI firm as Hollywood tests practical uses
Netflix paid nearly $600 million for InterPositive, the artificial intelligence startup from Ben Affleck, in a deal completed in March, according to Variety.
The figure sits inside a feature published by Variety on 17 September 2026 that examines how 10 companies are taming AI with specific use cases for creatives. The focus is practical work, not research papers. Who does what, on which show, and why.
At Netflix, the scale is already large. Roughly 300 programmes have incorporated generative AI, software that creates images, sound or text from prompts, according to Variety. One example involved ElevenLabs, a voice company. Netflix worked with it to create an AI replica of Gene Wilder's voice for the reality show Wonka's The Golden Ticket.
Other majors are reorganising around the same question. Amazon MGM has appointed an AI leader, and Lionsgate has appointed an AI leader, according to Variety. Google has partnered with Oscar-winning talent through its DeepMind unit to strengthen its relationship with film-makers.
The most talked-about test case is an actor who does not exist. Particle 6, a London-based AI-focused studio, created AI actress Tilly Norwood, according to Variety and the Hollywood Reporter.
Particle 6 said it is in production on a film titled Misaligned, a comedy-drama that Norwood will star in, according to Variety. The company described a shoot that will combine human crew members with AI tools. Trade press described the project as a hybrid production, and as Norwood's first feature film lead role, according to the Hollywood Reporter and Deadline. Particle 6 is associated with Eline van den Velden, according to Deadline.
Particle 6 has produced or is producing AI-generated films to showcase its technology. Higgsfield is doing the same, according to Variety. The sales pitch is proof on screen rather than a demo reel.
Other firms in the survey take different routes. Runway is focused on democratisation of film-making, meaning lower-cost tools that let smaller teams shoot and finish work. Black Forest Labs is backed by Martin Scorsese, according to Variety.
Outside Hollywood, India's film studios are using AI to slash production time and cut costs, and to dub movies into numerous languages, according to Reuters. In Hollywood, studios must obtain permission from actors to use their images in material generated by artificial intelligence, and must pay performers when they do so, according to Reuters.
What makes this stand out for viewers is the ordinariness of the jobs listed. Voices, translations, crowd scenes and pre-visualisation. The experiments that survive will be the ones audiences never notice.
