Guadagnino’s comedy revisits OpenAI’s origins but misses tech culture’s wider story
Luca Guadagnino’s *Artificial* reimagines the origins of OpenAI as a campy comedy about Sam Altman and the people around him. The film presents Altman as a manipulative, self-interested figure, but the review argues that its blunt satire offers little insight into the tech elite or the wider culture that embraced them.
The story follows AI researcher Ilya Sutskever from his work with Geoff Hinton to his partnership with Altman, whose app Loopt sold for $40 million. Their ambitions collide as OpenAI’s technology advances, and the film depicts Altman being fired as chief executive and rehired five days later. Andrew Garfield stars as Altman; Amazon MGM Studios withdrew from distributing the film in June, with the review linking that decision to Amazon’s reported $50 billion investment in OpenAI.
- Guadagnino’s film turns OpenAI’s origins into broad satire.
- Andrew Garfield plays Sam Altman as self-serving and manipulative.
- The review finds little insight beneath the comedy.
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OpenAI is an artificial intelligence company founded in 2015 that has become influential in technology and business. It developed ChatGPT and other advanced AI systems that feature prominently in discussions about the future of the technology.
Sam Altman is OpenAI's chief executive and a prominent technology industry figure. Ilya Sutskever is a senior researcher at the company who previously worked with Geoffrey Hinton, a pioneering scientist in artificial intelligence.
Luca Guadagnino, a renowned film director, has made a comedy called "Artificial" that dramatises OpenAI's origins. The film depicts the relationships and tensions between key figures at the company during its early years and development.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Satire works through exaggeration and caricature—that is the form's essential power. A film need not be sociological analysis to critique tech culture effectively; rather, bold characterisation and comedic excess can puncture the self-mythologising of the tech elite more sharply than earnest examination. By depicting Altman as nakedly self-interested, the film captures something true about entrepreneurial ambition and may engage audiences through entertainment in ways measured critique cannot.
The case against
When satire depicts real recent history involving identifiable figures, it should illuminate as well as mock. Blunt caricature without genuine understanding of what actually drives tech innovation or attracts venture capital to figures like Altman amounts to superficial ridicule rather than meaningful commentary. Satire requires the artist's deep comprehension of their subject; without it, the result is mere sneering that entertains perhaps, but fails to deepen audience understanding of the cultural forces at work.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Artificial review – Luca Guadagnino takes on OpenAI in muddled tech satire”.