Andrew Garfield on OpenAI Film ‘Artificial’: Exploring AI’s Creators

Key Takeaways

Actor Andrew Garfield stars as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in the film 'Artificial'.
The movie chronicles the company's growth and the ethical conflicts within.
Garfield discusses the importance of understanding those shaping the new world.

Actor Andrew Garfield has spoken about his role in the upcoming film 'Artificial', which premiered at the London Film Festival. Garfield plays OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, a role that delves into the company's history and the ethical dilemmas it faces.

Garfield, known for his performances in films such as 'The Social Network', was drawn to the project due to his curiosity and fear about the future of artificial intelligence (AI). He expressed, 'I think the reason I was drawn to it was just pure curiosity and fear and really trying to understand as deeply as possible the people who are ushering us into this next phase of the world.'

The film, written by Emmy-winning 'Saturday Night Live' writer Simon Rich, follows the story of OpenAI and the ethical differences between Altman and co-founder Ilya Sutskever, portrayed by Russian actor Yura Borisov. Sutskever trained under Geoffrey Hinton, known as the 'Godfather of AI', and the film also features Tesla CEO Elon Musk, played by Ike Barinholtz.

Garfield did not meet with Altman for the role, stating, 'I don’t know Sam and I have a lot of compassion for a person who’s my age, almost, and there’s a movie being made about him. It’s not him, but it’s an idea of what this story is and his part in it.'

Monica Barbaro, who plays OpenAI’s former technology chief, shared her experience on set, saying, 'It’s so fascinating making a film like this when the topic is so relevant right now. We’d be on set, watching two people argue with each other on Twitter, who we were portraying in this movie. It was really wild to have that experience.'

The film comes at a time of growing concerns about AI safety and control, with recent incidents at OpenAI and Anthropic sparking fears of rogue AI systems. Garfield emphasized the importance of understanding those in power, stating, 'It’s important that we do that because we need to know who’s in power and who’s creating our new world.'

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Altman expressed his expectations for the film, saying, 'I was not expecting an accurate depiction. I was expecting a movie that would be entertaining and that would be a good story, but I was not expecting an accurate depiction.'

The film, shot in 2025, aims to explore the complex and rapidly evolving landscape of AI, with Garfield's performance at the center of the narrative.

I think the reason I was drawn to it was just pure curiosity and fear and really trying to understand as deeply as possible the people who are ushering us into this next phase of the world.
Andrew Garfield, Actor