Actor Andrew Garfield believes the individuals steering the artificial intelligence revolution are effectively authoring the world to come. Garfield, who portrays OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman in Luca Guadagnino's feature film Artificial, stated that a combination of curiosity and fear drew him to the project, which delves into the rise of the influential technology giant behind ChatGPT and the people wielding power over rapidly evolving systems.
The film made its premiere at the London Film Festival on Sunday, October 11. Spanning a period of two decades, the narrative chronicles the origins and expansion of OpenAI alongside the dramatic firing and subsequent rehiring of Altman during the turbulent events of 2023.
In an interview with Reuters, Garfield explained that his participation was motivated by a drive to understand the personalities steering this next phase of technological change. He noted that leaders of major technology enterprises hold substantial influence over society and therefore warrant close examination.
Garfield, who previously appeared in the 2010 Facebook origins film The Social Network, remarked on the immense resilience required by leaders at the top of these corporations to withstand relentless public criticism and microscopic scrutiny. He emphasized the necessity of understanding the individuals who hold power and shape the modern world.
When preparing for the role, Garfield chose not to contact or meet Altman. He also shared a sense of compassion for the OpenAI leader, acknowledging that a cinematic portrayal of a living person serves as an interpretation rather than an absolute biography. Altman previously told Vanity Fair that he did not anticipate an accurate depiction.
Written by Emmy-winning Saturday Night Live writer Simon Rich, Artificial features Russian actor and Oscar nominee Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever, the co-founder and former chief scientist of OpenAI. Sutskever departed the organization following his involvement in the brief ouster of Altman, with the film highlighting the ethical disagreements and tensions surrounding artificial intelligence safety between the two colleagues.
Sutskever's background includes training under Geoffrey Hinton, widely recognized as the godfather of artificial intelligence, who is portrayed in the movie by Mark Rylance. The broader cast also features Ike Barinholtz in the role of Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, the former chief technology officer of OpenAI.
Produced amid growing societal anxieties regarding whether increasingly powerful systems might eventually slip beyond human control, the project captures a remarkably fast-moving industry. Barbaro described the filming experience as particularly unusual due to the real-time relevance of the subject matter.
She recalled observing real-time digital exchanges on social media between the actual figures being depicted while simultaneously recreating historical moments on set. Describing the process as both exciting and daunting, Barbaro noted that the underlying reality of the industry appears to shift on a monthly basis.
Artificial is scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on December 25, 2026.