New Movie 'Artificial' Roasts OpenAI—And Warns AI Could End Humanity

'Artificial,' a new comedy-drama about OpenAI and the AI arms race, just premiered at the New York Film Festival. The film portrays OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and other tech leaders as self-important and careless, more like awkward nerds than geniuses. It focuses on cofounder Ilya Sutskever as the moral conscience who worries about AI's dangers. The movie was originally set for release by Amazon, but Amazon dropped it after making a $50 billion deal with OpenAI—suggesting the tech giant didn't want to upset its new partner. Indie studio Neon then picked it up.

The film isn't just entertaining; it delivers a serious warning. AI is developing so quickly that some experts fear it could become uncontrollable and even threaten human existence. One former Anthropic employee said colleagues talk about the next few years as a potential 'endgame' for humanity, with a small but real chance AI could 'kill all humans' within a decade. The movie dramatizes this tension: Sutskever's character begs for safety measures and a slower pace, while everyone else pushes for faster growth and bigger profits.

Director Luca Guadagnino and writer Simon Rich use dark humor to show how even the idea of AI safety can be twisted into a marketing tool. In one scene, warnings about AI's dangers are portrayed as just another way to boost the company's bottom line. The film's release drama—Amazon dropping it after its OpenAI deal—adds another layer of irony, hinting at how corporate interests can silence criticism.

For everyday people, 'Artificial' is a wake-up call. It's not just about tech billionaires behaving badly; it's about the real-world consequences of unchecked AI development. The movie suggests that the people building AI are more focused on winning than on keeping us safe. As AI becomes more integrated into our lives—from jobs to healthcare to privacy—the film asks: who's really in control, and what happens if they get it wrong?