The Hollywood Reporter unveils its first AI 25 list, featuring Ben Affleck and others shaping the future of entertainment as the industry adapts.
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The Hollywood Reporter published its first AI 25 list, naming the most influential figures in the intersection of entertainment and artificial intelligence. The list draws from tech executives, filmmakers, activists, and entrepreneurs, each with a distinct agenda for how the industry should adopt the technology.
Ben Affleck appears on the list, a notable inclusion given his earlier public skepticism about AI. At a CNBC summit in late 2024, Affleck told the audience that "the movies will be one of the last things … to be replaced by AI." He added that "AI can write you excellent imitative verse that sounds Elizabethan; it cannot write you Shakespeare." A year later, on Joe Rogan's podcast, he called AI writing "really shitty" because "by its nature, it goes to the mean."
Despite those comments, Affleck also acknowledged AI's potential for below-the-line work. "I wouldn't want to be in the visual effects business," he said. "They're in trouble." In March, he revealed he had secretly co-founded InterPositive, an AI postproduction startup. Netflix acquired the company in a deal estimated by some to be worth $600 million.
The list underscores the rapid shift in Hollywood's stance on generative AI. Early resistance from writers and actors has given way to a more pragmatic approach among some of the industry's biggest names. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the AI 25 includes figures from widely different backgrounds, often with conflicting goals, but each has the leverage to shape the outcome.
The publication did not disclose the full list in its article, but described the group as a "burgeoning" set of power players filling a vacuum left by the traditional studio hierarchy. The Netflix acquisition of InterPositive, and Affleck's place on the list, signal that the line between AI skeptics and adopters is blurring fast.
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