Guadagnino's Film 'Artificial' Examines Rise of OpenAI and Sam Altman at NYFF

Luca Guadagnino's latest film, "Artificial," debuted at the 64th New York Film Festival on Monday, presenting a dramatized chronicle of the early development of OpenAI and the figures who shaped it. The screening, organized under the Neon studio banner after Amazon MGM Studios withdrew its support, was introduced by NYFF programming chief Dennis Lim, who said the festival is in a "threshold period" and that the film helps audiences understand how the current AI landscape emerged.

The narrative follows Russian-born researcher Ilya Sutskever’s early work with AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton at the University of Toronto in 2003, his subsequent move to Google, and his 2014 meeting with Sam Altman at a conference. Altman, then a young Y Combinator partner, recruited Sutskever to become chief science officer of the newly formed OpenAI, setting the stage for the organization’s rapid expansion. The film depicts the 2014 gathering of Altman, Elon Musk, Greg Brockman and others, and later events such as the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, OpenAI’s shift from nonprofit status, and the 2023 board dispute that briefly removed Altman before his reinstatement with backing from Microsoft.

Actors portray key industry figures: Andrew Garfield plays Altman, describing the character as "a completely dishonest personality" who masks ambition with charm; Cooper Hoffman appears as Greg Brockman; Monica Barbaro depicts Mira Murati; Mark Rylance embodies Geoffrey Hinton as the conscience of the industry; and Ike Barinholtz portrays Elon Musk in a cameo. The film also includes a fictional “prophet of doom” who warns of AI risks, echoing real-world concerns voiced by researchers such as Jacob Coxon.

Guadagnino said the project aims to show how artificial intelligence, while rooted in mathematics, is ultimately shaped by human interaction. Screenwriter Simon Rich, a former Saturday Night Live and Pixar writer, added that he hoped the movie would serve as a warning about unchecked technological advancement. Altman, who has not seen the film, dismissed its accuracy, stating that the portrayal is not intended to be factual.

"Artificial" arrives amid ongoing debates over AI safety and corporate influence, and its producers anticipate a broader release later in the year, potentially positioning the film for awards consideration.