Artificial Goes After Our Silicon Valley Overlords. Just Not Very Well.

The premiere of Artificial, a movie about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's turbulent leadership, drew a large crowd. This interest is fueled by recent controversies around AI, regulatory debates, and massive investments in the field. The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino, draws from real-life events and discussions about "aligning" AI with human values amid competition from tech giants like Google and Microsoft.

The focus lies on the widespread belief that these companies wield excessive power, prompting a call for a pause in advanced model development to avert potential risks to humanity.

Andrew Garfield, who plays Altman, expressed the filmmakers' intention to explore the responsibility of entrusting our autonomy, power, and data to these companies during a post-screening Q&A. They are adding new scenes while filming to capture the evolving landscape of the AI industry. At the heart of the story is Ilya Sutskever, co-founder and former chief scientist of OpenAI, portrayed by Yura Borisov.

He initially believes AI has the potential to solve humanity's problems but later realizes his idealism clashes with market realities.

Another character, played by Jason Schwartzman, serves as a prophet who predicts dire outcomes from unchecked AI development, warning of either human extinction or subservience to machines. However, the film also depicts tech leaders who fail to grasp the potential dangers as foolish and overconfident. This caricatured portrayal of Altman includes exaggerated movements and a blue-eyed appearance, contrasting with Ike Barinholtz's portrayal of Elon Musk, which seems more absurd than threatening.

The film attempts satire, akin to Saturday Night Live sketches, but the humor often feels superficial and lacks depth. Simon Rich, the screenwriter, is known for his work on Saturday Night Live, which may have influenced this approach. While the movie includes brief references to Silicon Valley's misogynistic culture, it lacks political or deeply personal commentary.

The characters often function as caricatures rather than fully-realized individuals, making it difficult to address the deeper issues surrounding AI and its impact on society.

The movie briefly mentions existential risks, with Altman stating that "Countries will fall. Industries are gonna collapse." The only specific harm addressed is AI's role in contributing to suicide. Despite the film's potential to shed light on the negative impacts of tech companies, merely making light of our tech overlords is not sufficient. It raises the question of whether Hollywood can do more to interrogate the people and culture behind these powerful entities.