Ben Affleck once again surprised people with his AI chops.
The movie star gave a surprising insight into the generative AI system in an interview with GQ’s “One More Question” series published on Tuesday, where Affleck said he can write in Python, a popular programming language, and discussed how convolutional neural networks work.
“I’ve always been very interested in computers since I was young. Then, when movies started moving from analog to digital, I became more interested in that aspect,” Affleck said, adding that “the visual effects workflow over the years has included machine learning.”
He then spent a few minutes explaining the concepts behind modern AI systems, using words and phrases unfamiliar to those unfamiliar with AI terminology: transformers, tensors, and edge detection.
“I appreciate the way you talk to me like I know something,” interviewer Zach Baron joked in response. “I’m really happy and honored, so thank you.”
A clip of Affleck talking about AI went viral, shocked, excited, and joking.
“Turns out he’s the real Good Will Hunting,” one X user wrote, referring to the 1997 film Affleck wrote with Matt Damon, who played the genius Will Hunting in the film.
“TLDR. Ben Afflick admits ‘The Accountant’ movie is actually semi-autobiographical,” another user said, referencing the 2016 film in which Affleck played a mathematician.
For those paying attention, Affleck’s expertise with AI should come as no surprise. The actor has caused “Ben Affleck knows AI?!” reaction many times over the past few years. He also sold InterPositive, an AI film technology startup quietly founded in 2022, to Netflix earlier this year for $587 million, although Affleck said in a GQ interview that the figure was “not true.”
Ben Affleck’s AI knowledge has made headlines before
Affleck first drew attention to the prowess of AI in November 2024 at a CNBC investor summit, where he explained the limitations of AI in filmmaking.
“AI is the best craftsman. Craftsmen can learn, you know, make Stickley furniture by sitting next to other people and seeing what their technique is and imitating them. That’s how big video models, big language models, basically work: libraries of meaning vectors and transformers that interpret the context,” said Affleck. “But that’s just cross-pollinating it there. Nothing new was created.”
“Artisans know how to work, art knows when to stop. And I think knowing when to stop will be very difficult for AI to learn because of feelings,” he said.
A clip of Affleck’s comments went viral on X, with more than 20 million views.
The actor again went viral in January this year due to the comments he made about AI on the podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience”. Affleck said that much of the fear and existential dread associated with AI comes from “people trying to justify valuations around companies.”
“Everywhere, ‘We’re going to change everything. In two years, there won’t be any more work.’ Well, the reason why they say that is because they need to provide an investment value that can guarantee the capex spending that will be done in the data center,” he said.
In addition to going viral, the interview clip was praised on X by Michael Burry, a “Big Short” investor and AI boom skeptic who has expressed similar doubts about some of the AI hype.
“Ben Affleck is clearly a smart man. So this does not surprise me. It sounds familiar and on point,” said Burry at the time.
While fans may be constantly in awe of Affleck’s AI knowledge, the actor is getting used to his detractors. She told GQ that after she won “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” the basic tone of the texts she received was “a little confused.”
“Like, ‘How the fuck does this guy do that?'”