Andrew Garfield thought Sam Altman was 'f—ing great' — then came 'Artificial'

Time for another round of the tech world being more dramatic than half the films at the cinema. Andrew Garfield has gone from Sam Altman fanboy to one of his more informed sceptics after digging deep into the OpenAI boss’s world for Artificial, a new film by director Luca Guadagnino. This one just had its premiere at the New York Film Festival and, to be honest, the research process sounds almost as tense as the film itself.

From Admiration to Suspicion

Garfield started out convinced Altman was exactly the sort of chap Silicon Valley needed. He first got that impression seeing Altman testify before Congress all those years ago. According to Garfield, he saw someone who was—his words, not mine—'honest', 'transparent', obsessed with regulation, and not trying to cash in for himself. He came away thinking this was someone we all should want running AI companies.

At the film’s premiere, Garfield explained, 'I was like, "This guy seems f**king great. He’s honest. He’s transparent. He’s talking about regulation, and he has no stake in OpenAI. We need more of these people in control. He’s incredibly charming and charismatic." And then you learn more about a person.'

In other words, first impressions: glowing. The reality as Garfield dug in? Rather more complicated. He’s called his shift in opinion a bit of a cautionary tale for any era where charisma often trumps caution—especially when that involves artificial intelligence controlling more and more of our daily lives.

Diving into Altman's World

For the film, which covers OpenAI’s trajectory—including the bonkers period where Sam Altman was fired then almost immediately rehired—Garfield had to get right inside Altman's brain. He spent a couple of months, possibly three, combing through hours of video and audio of Altman, and as a result, ended up with a far more layered impression. It left Garfield feeling the entire situation was so significant, so charged with ethical questions, it drove him to throw himself into the project even harder.

Talking about that period, Garfield said, 'We need to shine the light as bright as possible at the nooks and crannies of people we’re giving all of our autonomy and power to.' He even half-wished the film had 'even more teeth'.

• Artificial dramatizes the OpenAI saga, including Altman’s firing and return
• Amazon MGM abandoned the film late in the game; Neon then stepped in to distribute
• US release is set for 25 December

Altman's Not Bothered

If you’re wondering what Sam Altman himself reckons to all this—he hasn’t seen the film, and apparently, he’s not exactly rushing to. Asked about it by Vanity Fair, Altman pretty much said he doubts it’s accurate, suggesting it probably works better as drama than documentary. Make of that what you will.

Artificial hits cinemas on Christmas Day.