People Are Only Just Discovering How Smart Ben Affleck Is, And I Guess It’s Better Late Than Never

To this day, Ben Affleck is the youngest winner of the Best Original Screenplay Oscar, which he won back in 1998 for his and his best friend Matt Damon’s critically acclaimed movie Good Will Hunting.

Most recently, this has come in the form of his incredibly articulate views on AI — and the long-term impact that it might have on the movie business.

“Look, AI is a craftsman at best,” he went on. “A craftsman can learn how to make Stickley furniture by sitting down next to somebody and seeing what their technique is and imitating.”

The tweet has since been seen more than 15 million times and racked up tens of thousands of likes and retweets, with many sharing how impressed and surprised they were by Ben’s detailed response. 

“This actually is really amazing, I had no idea he had such a vocabulary,” one person wrote in a quote-tweet. Somebody else agreed: “Such a great take… I am surprised and did not expect this.”

But others questioned why Ben’s intelligence comes as such a shock, with many pointing out that this is far from the first time he has showcased how smart he is.

One person wrote: “every time someone gets surprised at Ben Affleck being articulate, i lose my shit coz he’s always had the most nuanced and well-researched arguments on the most pressing of topics.”

Others brought up the fact that Ben has been pretty accurate with his thoughts on the future of film and technology in the past, with a 2003 clip of him correctly predicting subscription-based apps for movies and music also resurfacing.