Sam Altman’s OpenAI Drama Heads to Hollywood

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The dramatic saga of Sam Altman’s firing and subsequent rehiring at OpenAI in 2023 is reportedly headed to the big screen. While the cast is currently unconfirmed, sources say that “Artificial” could star Andrew Garfield as the enigmatic CEO.

Behind the boardroom drama: Altman’s exit and employee backlash

On Nov. 17, 2023, OpenAI’s board announced the abrupt removal of Altman, its cofounder and CEO, from both his executive role and board seat. Then-Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati was immediately appointed to serve as interim CEO.  

“Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities,” OpenAI representatives wrote in a statement at the time. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”

Rumors began swirling about the reasons behind the board’s decision.

Speculations range from tensions with Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever to alleged, deeper-rooted issues between the nonprofit board’s AI safety priorities and the for-profit arm’s push to accelerate commercial products, such as ChatGPT. In response, more than 700 of the company’s 770 employees signed a letter threatening to resign unless Altman was reinstated.   

By Nov. 22, following Microsoft’s announcement that Altman would join its new AI division, an “agreement in principle” had been reached for his return as OpenAI CEO. He was officially reinstated one week later.

Hollywood takes note: Casting, direction, and the AI film boom

Garfield is no stranger to tech executive drama, having portrayed Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in 2010’s “The Social Network,” which chronicled the tumultuous rise of Mark Zuckerberg.

In talks to join him in “Artificial” is Yura Borisov, who recently starred in the Oscar-winning “Anora,” and could portray Sutskever. Monica Barbaro, who appeared alongside Timothée Chalamet in the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” could reportedly take on the role of Murati.

Luca Guadagnino, the filmmaker behind “Call Me By Your Name,” “Challengers,” and “Bones and All,” is attached to direct. According to Variety, the film will blend drama with comedic elements. Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter notes that Amazon and MGM Studios are fast-tracking production, targeting a summer shoot in Italy and San Francisco. 

AI is quickly becoming a major source of inspiration in Hollywood, with several other films centred around the technology currently in development. Among them are “Alignment,” a thriller about an out-of-control LLM that its creators plot to shut down, and an untitled project directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and starring Anne Hathaway.