Ben Affleck Explains His Work With AI in Filmmaking

Actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck has drawn attention online for detailed explanations of machine learning and its use in filmmaking, according to TechCrunch. In recent interviews with GQ and Bloomberg, he discussed neural networks, transformers, tensors, GPUs and inference, and said he can write basic Python scripts.

Affleck said his interest grew as filmmaking shifted from analog film to digital workflows. He described how visual effects teams use neural networks for tasks such as edge detection, feature extraction and replacing green screen backgrounds.

Affleck also described creating a custom dataset through an eight month filming process. The data was used to train open models for specific filmmaking tasks. At Bloomberg's Screentime 2026 conference, he said his team fine tuned open source models by unfreezing their weights and training them to meet cinematic standards.

The actor used AI during post production on his film Animals. His filmmaking startup was sold to Netflix earlier in 2026 for a reported $587 million, although Affleck said that figure was incorrect and noted that he did not own the entire company.