They forged the fallacious lead in “Good Will Looking,” apparently, as a result of it’s Ben Affleck who’s the key genius, because it seems. The actor who earlier this 12 months offered his AI filmmaking startup to Netflix for a reported $587 million has gone viral this week for demonstrating his understanding of AI expertise, neural networks, machine studying, and the like, throughout a number of video clips of his current interviews.
He may even write somewhat Python, he says.
The film star delved into his curiosity in expertise most lately on an episode of GQ’s “One More Question” series this week, the place he humbly began with “I’ve at all times been type of into computer systems since I used to be younger,” earlier than nerding out on the event of AI because it pertains to filmmaking, whereas utilizing AI terminology like machine studying, neural networks, transformers, tensors, GPUs, inference, and extra.
In a clip that’s making the rounds, Affleck explains to the impressed interviewer, Zach Baron, that he obtained into the area when analog movie moved to digital. As he spoke, he stored defining phrases so the interviewer might perceive what he was speaking about.
“I turned extra keen on that facet of it, and the visible results workflow for a few years has included machine studying,” Affleck started. “So I can write, like, fairly shitty Python scripts and stuff like that. As a result of with convolutional neural networks — which have been the type of precursors to what the transformer can do — which is simply rather more computation concurrently — you’ll do issues like, have a look at what’s referred to as a tensor — which is simply the numerical translation of a visible picture, in numbers just like the batch quantity, the body quantity, the crimson, inexperienced, and blue values of every pixel in every body, and what number of? It’s simply that straightforward, proper?”
No, Ben Affleck, it’s not simply that straightforward, which is why this video goes viral.
The actor then went into how neural networks have been used to determine patterns and do edge detection or function extraction, which he described as “figuring out patterns sufficient to know — like that is the place the window ledge is, so we are able to extra simply take the inexperienced display picture out and change it with one thing.”
He additionally admitted he used his standing as a Hollywood star to get a peek at rising AI expertise, at instances. OpenAI was amongst these he visited, Affleck said in a separate clip, which in the end led him to grasp how he might get extra instantly concerned within the AI area.
Because the interviewer continued, Affleck defined how AI may help with filmmaking whereas not changing it, resulting in the event and sale of his personal startup on this area. (He claims the $587 million determine is “not proper,” noting that he didn’t personal the entire firm.)
“I gambled on this notion that with a view to do that in an moral manner and in a manner that might take this expertise and really make it work hand in glove with artists on this group the place there are very fastened, long-standing relationships round likeness and so forth, we needed to create our personal dataset,” he stated. “So I raised the cash. I shot for about eight months with a variety of cameras and a variety of tools, and created a dataset that will function late-stage coaching for open fashions to do discrete duties, type of the place the coaching code, the inference code, have been associated to at least one one other and geared towards precise particular duties that will generate worth,” Affleck stated.
In a separate clip, additionally going viral, Affleck spoke to Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw on the Screentime 2026 convention in LA, the place he talked about how he fine-tuned AI fashions by taking open supply fashions, unfreezing the weights, then instructing them to satisfy sure cinematic requirements. Within the course of, the filmmaker retains their proprietary work, whereas benefiting from the training they create by coaching their very own distinctive mannequin for the film they’re making.
The actor used the approach himself in his film “Animals,” the place AI aided within the post-production course of.
At one level, he additionally weighed in on the issues round AI and its world-ending potential. His worries, nevertheless, have been rather more rational.
“After I fear about AI, I fear about my children in class. I fear concerning the 30% rise within the variety of A’s given out at schools over the past three years. I fear about realized helplessness. I fear about accountable use. I don’t fear about Skynet, and I don’t suppose that it’s going to take over [the movie] enterprise in any significant manner. I believe it’s going to be additive,” Affleck stated.
Whenever you buy via hyperlinks in our articles, we might earn a small fee. This doesn’t have an effect on our editorial independence.