Ben Affleck joins AI summit with Kathleen Kennedy and top tech executives

The American Film Institute and Google hosted an invitation-only AI summit titled “AI Summit Creators at the Center,” drawing film and technology leaders such as Kathleen Kennedy, Meta, Google, Paramount, A24 and Lucasfilm. Ben Affleck, fresh from his 54th birthday celebration, joined a panel in a suit, earning praise as the best-dressed and “very smart” participant, and remained after the discussion to mingle with guests.

The confidential gathering, governed by Chatham House Rules, included breakfast networking, a keynote, lunch and breakout sessions where attendees debated AI’s role in the industry. Among the roster were Scott Belsky, Greg Siegel, Chris Parnell, Diane Becker, Janet Yang, Jed Weintrob, Jon Avnet, Susan Ruskin and Rob Bredow. Affleck, co-founder of the AI startup InterPositive, which Netflix purchased for close to $600 million earlier this year, departed to celebrate his birthday with ex-spouse Jennifer Garner and their two children at Farmshop. The summit highlighted both enthusiasm and skepticism about AI’s future in filmmaking.