Netflix’s AI deal puts the global VFX workforce at risk. A startup founded by Ben Affleck, recently acquired by Netflix, could automate the frame-by-frame work done by artists across India, South Korea, and Latin America. Netflix’s latest acquisition is threatening thousands of livelihoods from Los Angeles to Mumbai. On March 5, Netflix acquired InterPositive, an artificial intelligence company built by Hollywood actor Ben Affleck, for an undisclosed sum.
InterPositive automates color grading, relighting, and continuity fixes, work that is currently done frame by frame by artists in India, South Korea, the Philippines, and Latin America. More than 2 million professionals work in visual effects globally. Netflix has stated it would share the technology only with in-house creative partners and not with rival production companies, with Affleck serving as a senior adviser to the streaming giant.
The jobs AI creates may not be the same—or as many—as the jobs that it replaces in the coming years. While AI had already been eroding visual effects jobs before the InterPositive acquisition, the involvement of Ben Affleck has turned a quiet industry shift into a global conversation. The impact will be hardest on entry-level workers, as these early-stage opportunities are where artists traditionally "learn by doing". If AI tools begin handling tasks like cleanup, relighting, or base compositing, these foundational roles may vanish.
In 2023, a study commissioned by Hollywood labor groups found that about 75% of entertainment industry executives were already using AI to remove, reduce, or consolidate jobs. The study estimated that as many as 118,500 positions could be lost within three years, with 80% of early adopters deploying AI in post-production. While these projections measured the U.S. impact alone, the global figure has yet to be quantified.
Some industry experts argue that efficiency gains from AI will lead streamers to commission more productions, creating new work. However, Kimberly Owczarski, an associate professor at Texas Christian University, argues this logic fails against the reality of a contracting industry. Los Angeles County alone has lost 41,000 film and television jobs in three years, representing a quarter of its entertainment workforce. Owczarski noted that a surge in new work seems unlikely given the global shrinkage in the overall number of film and TV productions.
Netflix, which had more than 325 million subscribers and generated $45.2 billion in revenue last year, did not respond to questions regarding the impact of its AI capabilities on its international post-production workforce. This is particularly significant for India, where more than 90% of Hollywood’s rotoscoping work is performed. Rotoscoping is the painstaking, frame-by-frame tracing of shapes in live-action footage that allows visual effects to be layered into a scene. Joseph Bell, author of the Visual Effects & Animation World Atlas, noted that while AI technology has not yet swept away those jobs, it "will get there sooner than later".
The InterPositive deal allows Netflix to push its investment in AI-powered production further and faster. Other major players are also staking claims; for instance, Disney invested $1 billion in OpenAI in December 2025 to license characters for the Sora video platform. The fragility of the VFX industry was recently highlighted when Technicolor collapsed under debt in February 2025, abruptly shutting its India operations and leaving 3,000 workers without pay or notice.
Amidst these shifts, Netflix opened Eyeline Studios in Hyderabad on March 12, a facility designed for what it calls "generative virtual effects". Netflix’s chief product and technology officer, Elizabeth Stone, described their approach as serving the needs of the "creative community," yet the company has not specified if VFX studios in India, South Korea, or Latin America will qualify as "creative partners" with access to InterPositive’s tools.
In the U.S., labor unions like SAG-AFTRA and the WGA are making AI protections a central demand in contract negotiations. In contrast, post-production workers across India and South Korea have no equivalent representation, and conversations about AI impact remain largely informal within teams or peer groups. Furthermore, the perception of what AI can do is moving faster than the technology itself; as Joseph Bell pointed out, even if AI cannot yet do a job, a client's belief that it can is enough to disrupt project budgets, schedules, and employment.
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