Ben Affleck revealed that he had used AI throughout his upcoming Netflix movie Animals, but he refused to identify exactly where the technology appeared.
The actor and filmmaker said he wanted viewers to remain immersed in the movie instead of searching for artificial intelligence behind individual scenes. He also explained the safeguards his team used while bringing the technology into production.
Ben Affleck says he used AI for “lots of things” in ‘Animals’ but won’t reveal the techniques
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck first discussed the AI in Hollywood debate while speaking at Bloomberg’s Screentime event.
“I used [AI] for lots of things in that movie,” Affleck said.
However, he declined to identify those uses because filmmaking depended on creating a believable world for audiences.
“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?” he said.
Affleck later explained his approach at the Animals premiere. He said his team created its own proprietary dataset rather than relying on copyrighted work or material created by other artists.
The Ben Affleck AI approach also included limits on how he believed filmmakers should use the technology. Affleck rejected the idea of generating entire movies simply by entering prompts.
He instead described AI as another tool for post-production. Affleck said the technology should not create fake performers or replace people working on films.
He also argued that filmmakers should control how their own work contributed to AI systems. Affleck said actors and directors should decide whether to let technology learn from their creative contributions.
Affleck had already expanded his involvement with the technology beyond filmmaking. Earlier in 2026, he sold his AI company InterPositive to Netflix for nearly $600 million.
Affleck directed, co-wrote and starred in the Animals movie. The story followed a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son was kidnapped. His character and his wife, played by Kerry Washington, then tried to secure the ransom.
Despite using AI on the project, Affleck said he did not view the technology as Hollywood’s central problem. He instead pointed to issues involving moviegoing, labor disruptions and production incentives.
He also rejected claims that artificial intelligence had reached anything close to human-level awareness or intelligence.