An OpenAI movie on the life of Sam Altman is in the works and it is called Artificial
It seems Hollywood still can't get enough of Silicon Valley drama. Ever since The Social Network showed that boardroom betrayals and billion-dollar battles could be just as thrilling as a car-flipping Transformers blockbuster, the film industry has kept a close eye on tech's biggest stories. And now, the next chapter in that tradition could be taking shape, with none other than OpenAI's Sam Altman at the centre of the storm.advertisementIn early discussions to turn the recent turbulent history of OpenAI into a film, according to The Hollywood Reporter, director Luca Guadagnino has entered talks. Amazon MGM Studios is working on the project, which for now is titled Artificial and which guarantees to mix corporate crises with comedic humour. The movie will cover the sensational week in November 2023 when OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman was suddenly fired and no less quickly reinstated, over a span of five days.Plot details are under wraps, but the insider says the movie will be a biting, satirical examination of the cutthroat world of AI, where billion-dollar bets about the future of humanity are placed by groups that don't always see eye to eye.
Casting remains in its infancy, but initial rumours point to some prominent stars being eyed. Andy Garfield, star of The Social Network and The Amazing Spider-Man, is in line to play the role of Altman. Monica Barbaro (of A Complete Unknown) is also in negotiations to play Mira Murati, the former CTO of OpenAI who replaced Chris Liddell as interim CEO during the change in leadership. Russian actor Yura Borisov (Anora) is reportedly in the running for the role of Ilya Sutskever, the co-founder and chief scientist at the centre of Altman's removal. But we don't yet know the cast of characters. In case you didn't catch the boardroom bombshell in 2023, here's a brief refresher.advertisementSam Altman was abruptly ousted as CEO, with the board citing a loss of confidence in his ability to lead. The move shook the tech industry to its core, particularly since Altman had become a high-profile face of AI advancement due to ChatGPT's explosive popularity. But in a plot twist befitting its script, the firing didn't stick. Only five days afterwards, under popular protest, pressure from within, and likely a lot of behind-the-scenes manoeuvres, Altman was back at the helm. The sheer speed and theatrics of the events, executive departures, employees' rebellion, and a come-full-circle return, would make Artificial a potentially enthralling watch. And with the movie to lean into the inherent strangeness and paradoxes of the world of AI, it could be the one to strike the perfect harmony between Silicon Valley satire and high-stakes narrative.Whether or not audiences are familiar with the ins and outs of OpenAI's leadership saga, Artificial seems poised to offer a wildly entertaining take on an already bizarre real-world episode. And with AI tools like ChatGPT becoming increasingly embedded in our daily lives, the timing couldn't be better. If done right, this film could become The Social Network of this generation—only funnier, weirder, and just a little bit smarter.
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