"Artificial," a recent cinematic release, presents a piercing and humor-infused drama focusing on the contentious persona of Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI. This movie, which has been rated 12A, draws a critical portrayal of Altman as a leader whose visionary facade masks a manipulative and untrustworthy nature. The narrative is said to be deeply influenced by confidential memos from OpenAI's co-founder and chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, shedding light on the internal dynamics and ethical dilemmas within the pioneering AI company.
The film opens with Ilya, an exceptionally gifted 17-year-old, whose sole focus is the creation of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). His collaboration with Geoffrey Hinton, revered as the 'Godfather of AI,' initially leads them to Google. However, their groundbreaking project is overlooked by a myopic executive. This sets the stage for the entry of Sam Altman, depicted as a charming yet dangerously manipulative venture capitalist, alongside his associate Elon Musk, humorously portrayed with an almost unnerving confidence.
As the narrative unfolds, it highlights the stark contrast between Ilya's candid, almost guileless personality, and Sam's smooth, charismatic yet deceitful demeanor. Altman is characterized as someone capable of captivating and influencing anyone, even to the extent of being revered by adversaries. However, as the race for AI supremacy escalates, the initial ethical safeguards begin to unravel. Ilya and his colleague Mira Murati grow increasingly apprehensive about the direction their creations are taking, questioning the possibility of reining in the rapidly advancing technology.
The film’s commentary extends beyond the fictional realm, echoing real-world concerns about the unchecked proliferation of artificial intelligence. Recent warnings from figures like Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic researcher, about AI potentially leading to human extinction, underscore the movie's grim implications. Yet, despite its serious undertones, "Artificial" manages to maintain an engaging and surprisingly humorous tone, thanks to the witty script by Saturday Night Live writer Simon Rich and a vibrant electronic score by Damon Albarn. Director Luca Guadagnino infuses the film with his signature style, exploring themes of desire, temptation, and power struggles, reminiscent of his other works, despite the seemingly unconventional subject matter for him.
The movie suggests that the true menace is not AI itself, but rather the human flaws driving its development: insatiable ambition, narcissism, avarice, and tribalism. Andrew Garfield's performance as Altman is particularly noteworthy, capturing a slithering, evasive quality, as if constantly escaping consequence. His character, with piercing blue contact lenses, mesmerizes those around him, showering his tech-bro employees with cult-leader-like affirmations. The film draws parallels to other tech-empire narratives like "The Social Network," but "Artificial" distinguishes itself as a more evolved exploration, portraying the journey towards human extinction as an unnerving, out-of-control roller coaster ride. The sudden withdrawal of Amazon MGM as a distributor, coinciding with their partnership with OpenAI, further amplifies the film's provocative message, implying that if tech giants wish it unseen, it’s likely worth a look. The movie is scheduled for release in cinemas on January 22nd.
