Netflix has acquired an AI film production startup called InterPositive, Variety reports.
The company was founded by actor Ben Affleck in 2022, who will remain a senior advisor to Netflix. In addition, the entire team will be absorbed by the streaming platform.
Affleck says he founded the company after “watching the early rise of AI in production” and realizing how “models were proving to be insufficient.” The company creates tools that generate AI models. This allows directors to use them in the post-production process to do things like mixing and coloring, re-lighting shots and adding visual effects.
Affleck adds, that the technology “isn’t about text prompting or generating something out of nothing.” Netflix says the company will keep “directors at the center of the process.” The company recently used generative AI tools to create a visual shot in a show called “The Eternaut.” The company has also used AI to make ads more immersive. We’ll have to wait and see if creators will truly be at the center of things. Netflix will offer access to InterPositive’s technology to creative partners, but has no plans to sell it commercially. It’s worth noting that Affleck seems to have a nuanced understanding of modern AI tools. “We also need to keep what makes storytelling human, which is judgment,” he said. “One that takes decades to build, to perfect – experience, and that only humans can have. I knew I had a responsibility to my colleagues and our industry to protect the power of human creativity and the people behind it.“ It is worth repeating, however, that the company is no longer in Affleck's hands, as he is now merely an advisor.
Source: engadget.com