Ben Affleck says AI was used extensively in Netflix film Animals

By Splitfeed EditorialLast updated Oct 2, 2026, 03:20 UTC

On October 1, 2026, director Ben Affleck publicly acknowledged that artificial intelligence tools were used in the production of Animals, his Netflix film, telling outlets including Deadline that he used AI for "lots of things." He did not specify which stages of production involved AI, which tools were employed, or how central that involvement was. He also described the film as "a very human movie," a characterization that stands in some tension with the breadth of AI use he implied.

The statement matters because Affleck is among the more prominent Hollywood directors to openly claim extensive AI use on a major studio production, and his comments arrive at a moment when the entertainment industry is still negotiating what disclosure around AI use should look like. The lack of specificity is itself notable: without knowing whether AI was used for scheduling, visual effects, script development, voice work, or something else entirely, it is difficult to assess what precedent, if any, the production sets. The gap between "lots of things" and no further detail is precisely what is fueling disagreement.

None of the three camps have published specific reactions to this story yet. Pro-AI voices would typically treat Affleck's openness as evidence that AI is becoming a normal and accepted part of filmmaking craft, and might argue that his framing of the film as deeply human undermines the idea that AI compromises artistic integrity. Anti-AI voices would typically express concern that broad, unspecified AI use obscures potential harms to writers, artists, and crew members whose work or compensation may have been affected, and would likely call the lack of disclosure a problem in itself. Middle-ground observers would typically argue that the story illustrates exactly why the industry needs clearer, standardized disclosure norms rather than vague assurances from individual directors.

The argument here is unlikely to resolve without more detail from Affleck or Netflix about which specific tools were used and at which production stages. Any guild or union response, particularly from the Writers Guild or the visual effects community, would also shift the conversation, as would broader audience reaction once the film is more widely available.