Ben Affleck used AI in Animals — not for space battles or CGI monsters, but to make a tense, human-scale thriller feel more real. The film, which he co-wrote, directed and stars in, premieres October 9 in select theatres and on Netflix. He didn’t say exactly how, only that it was ‘for lots of things’, mostly in post-production. And that the tech helped speed up work that would’ve taken longer otherwise. 'It’s a very human movie,' he said at a Bloomberg Screentime Q&A. 'But yes, we did use it.' He hesitated to specify what, comparing it to revealing a magic trick mid-performance. 'It sort of ruins it, right?' He’s not alone in the quiet embrace of AI behind the scenes. In March, Netflix bought his AI company, InterPositive, for $587 million. Affleck stepped down as CEO after the deal, now serving as a senior advisor. The acquisition came months before Animals hit screens. His latest project is a sharp pivot from the superhero roles that defined his early career. Here, he plays Mark Kimball, a mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped. With hours to raise ransom money, the film unfolds like a high-stakes race against time. Kerry Washington co-stars as his wife, Abigail. No visual effects. No aliens. Just a man under pressure, and the tools that helped build that pressure on screen. The question isn’t whether AI changed the film, it already has. The bigger one: how long before audiences stop caring about the illusion? And start asking who really made it?