Like Matt Damon’s dance with cryptocurrency before him, Ben Affleck’s flirtations with AI have developed into a full romance. The actor and director has been advocating for AI in Hollywood entertainment for over a year. Released this weekend, his Netflix feature Animals appears to be a vehicle for his envisioned “ethically” utilized AI. Though the end result doesn’t seem to be impressing viewers.
Starring and directed by Affleck, Animals follows Mark Kimball, a mayoral candidate lagging in the polls. When his son is taken hostage, Mark and his wife Abigail (Scandal’s Kerry Washington) attempt to source the ransom without sinking his chances in a close election.
While Affleck has directed a number of praised thrillers, from Gone Baby Gone to Academy Award winner Argo, critics haven’t taken as kindly to this political caper, citing paper thin personalities and clunky dialogue. The online peanuts gallery have also latched on to some abnormal looking shot composition, which look like the kind of clips Paul Rudd would present on Conan. The film is currently underwater on both critic and audience Rotten Tomato scores.
سبب كافي يخليك تكره فلم ابن أفليك الجديد ANIMALS pic.twitter.com/3v2ap1fjMS
— غاس | FHD (@FHD_GUS) October 9, 2026
What Affleck opted to use AI for in the production of Animals is unclear, as the star has been coy about the process. What he does tout is that he wants AI to be used, in his mind, responsibly. Not breaching creative rights or intellectual property, or threatening anyone in Hollywood’s livelihoods. After being spooked by the tech years ago, he sees this as a way to keep humans at the table.
“I don’t believe that there will ever be ‘Just type it in and make a movie that people want to see,’” said Affleck at a recent Bloomberg event. “The whole effort behind it was to do something ethical, to do something that did not displace people, but that allowed people in this economy and this world to benefit from this technology.”
Shaken as he may be, and despite all the rattling, Hollywood’s human entertainers have yet to be displaced by AI. Higher ups may be champing at the bit to displace headcounts and devalue labor, but audiences are overwhelmingly lining up for art with that human touch, such as Kane Parsons’ simulacra lampooning Backrooms. AI is excellent at reminding us about its existence at every turn, but less effective at motivating a ticket sale.
