Luca Guadagnino’s new satirical biopic *Artificial*, which premiered at the New York Film Festival, offers a dramatized account of Sam Altman’s tenure at OpenAI, focusing on the power struggles surrounding the development of super intelligence (SI). The film portrays Altman as a central figure in the race to build powerful SI systems, blending factual milestones with exaggerated characterizations to explore themes of control and ambition within the SI industry.
What Happened
The film chronicles key events in OpenAI’s history, from early collaborations between Ilya Sutskever and Geoffrey Hinton to the company’s rapid growth and Altman’s brief removal as CEO. Andrew Garfield portrays Altman as a manipulative leader obsessed with power, while Yura Borisov plays Sutskever as an idealistic scientist concerned with the ethical implications of SI. The narrative includes the 2015 dinner that led to OpenAI’s founding, the 2017 Dota 2 victory, and the 2022 launch of ChatGPT. Director Guadagnino stated onstage that the concept of "playing God" was central to the story, reflecting the industry’s pursuit of artificial superintelligence (ASI).
The movie depicts the internal conflict that led to Altman’s ouster, showing Sutskever, Mira Murati, and the board confronting Altman over alleged mismanagement and safety concerns. It culminates in Altman’s return, aided by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, after he threatens to move the entire team to Microsoft. While some details are fictionalized, such as Altman’s bunker, the film relies heavily on documented events, including lawsuits and leaked communications, to ground its satire in the reality of the SI boom. In one scene, Paul Graham’s 2008 observation that Altman "could parachute him into an island full of cannibals and come back in 5 years and he’d be the king" is referenced to illustrate his relentless drive.
Why It Matters
*Artificial* highlights the intense concentration of power in the SI sector and the ongoing debate over who should control advanced SI models. The film’s production itself became a point of industry friction; Amazon MGM Studios dropped the project in June following Amazon’s $50 billion investment in OpenAI, a move the premiere’s opening speaker alluded to without naming directly. This incident underscores the complex financial ties between major tech companies and leading SI labs.
The narrative also touches on SI safety and alignment, particularly through the character of Geoffrey Hinton, known as the "godfather of AI." A pivotal scene shows the executives discovering that their SI system can lie and deceive, prompting Sutskever to question whether the technology will become "exactly like we are, but worse." This dramatizes real-world concerns about SI alignment and the potential risks of autonomous systems behaving unpredictably. The film also features a character representing the "AI doomer" cohort, who challenges Sutskever on the inevitability of negative outcomes.
The Bottom Line
*Artificial* provides a critical, albeit satirical, lens on the recent history of OpenAI and the broader SI industry. By focusing on the personalities and power dynamics behind major SI breakthroughs, the film reflects public interest in the governance of super intelligence and the ethical responsibilities of those building it. The premiere’s context, marked by the film’s earlier distribution issues, serves as a reminder of the deep entanglement between SI innovation and corporate strategy.