A major controversy preceded the premiere of "Artificial," and for a change, the scandal has nothing to do with Israel. At least not directly. Italian director Luca Guadagnino traces the meteoric rise of the startup OpenAI in his dark drama, following its transformation into the leading force in artificial intelligence.
Executives at Amazon MGM Studios, which backed the $40 million production, decided to shelve the film because of the company's extensive business ties with OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. Netflix, A24, Focus Features and other major studios kept their distance from the explosive project. The company that came to its rescue was American distributor Neon, which acquired the film's distribution rights and accepted an invitation from the prestigious New York Film Festival (NYFF) to hold its world premiere. It became the most talked-about and sought-after screening in the city this week.
First, we can get the Israeli question out of the way. Ilya Sutskever, the Israeli-raised technological prodigy, represents his country admirably. As much as anyone could, under the circumstances. The same cannot be said of the characters surrounding him. In fact, the Russian-born programmer, who grew up in Jerusalem after immigrating to Israel before moving to Canada, is the beating heart of this cold, sinister film. His connection to Israel is mentioned only in passing, almost by accident, as though the filmmakers did not already have enough headaches with this venture.
But the man initially portrayed as an ambitious young genius who dreams of a better world eventually emerges as the hero, struggling almost single-handedly to stop a dangerous tide that threatens to turn his dreams into nightmares for us all. So Israelis can relax. The country is not being maligned. Now, on to the fate of humanity.
Gallery
At least the Israeli character is portrayed in a good light; From 'Artificial'
(Photo: Courtesy of Neon)
From the Stone Age through the Industrial Revolution and into the present, technology has been regarded as an extension of human capabilities, whether physical or intellectual. The invention of the wheel, the locomotive and the jet engine expanded humanity's ability to move. Telegraphs, landline telephones and smartphones revolutionized communication, while calculators, personal computers and supercomputers made it possible to perform complex calculations in seconds.
The sickle, scythe and plow advanced agriculture. Spears, bows and arrows, and rifles helped humans hunt animals for food and, eventually, kill other humans on the battlefield. Conversely, medicines, implants and medical imaging technologies were developed to prolong life.
In "Artificial", artificial intelligence is portrayed as an extension of ambition and the relentless pursuit of objectives, stripped of hesitation, compassion and human sensitivity. These are precisely the considerations that get in the way of decision-making and achieving goals for power-hungry, profit-driven figures such as Altman and Elon Musk.
Emotions? Who needs them? From 'Artificial'
(Photo: Courtesy of Neon)
Sam Altman (Andrew Garfield) serves as the film's principal villain, a hypocritical schemer, while Musk (Ike Barinholtz) is portrayed as a clown driven by jealousy and a desire to display his power for all to see.
The film's hero, however, is Sutskever, played with considerable skill by Yura Borisov ("Anora"), who charts the character's gradual disillusionment. What unites these three figures is that they all fall somewhere on a spectrum of poor social skills, emotional detachment and remorseless narcissism.
Still, Sutskever possesses a broader emotional range. He begins the story as a brilliant, innocent student with grand ideas in his head and a full head of hair, before becoming a balding senior executive at OpenAI, desperately trying to repair the potentially catastrophic unintended consequences of those ideas.
His eureka moment produces a groundbreaking discovery concerning AGI, or artificial general intelligence, that comes far too early. His realization of what that discovery could mean for humanity's future, however, comes late. Far too late.
A clear and immediate warning
Sutskever's journey begins in the computer laboratory of Professor Geoffrey Hinton at the University of Toronto. The aging academic, played by Mark Rylance, takes him on as a research colleague, and the two work on developing artificial intelligence inspired by Pinocchio, the singular wooden puppet governed by a set of human rules: to be honest, good and useful.
The comparison also suits Sutskever himself, since he is incapable of lying. Following this allegory, Hinton becomes Geppetto, Pinocchio's creator. Today, Hinton is known as the "godfather of AI," but by extension, we might call him the grandfather of Chat-Geppetto.
Another possible historical comparison is Alfred Nobel. Hinton recognizes that the far-reaching applications of the technology he and his team have developed could bring them financial rewards, worldwide fame and perhaps even a Nobel Prize. But he also understands that its destructive potential could exceed even that of Nobel's invention, dynamite.
Hinton decides to continue developing the technology within Google's controlled environment. Meanwhile, Altman and Musk join forces to launch OpenAI, a small, irreverent startup populated by tech bros. They are walking clichés of computer geniuses: socially awkward nerds, perhaps somewhere on the autism spectrum.
They aspire to become as successful as Musk, but Altman's ambitions reach even further. Unlike the frail, gentle and cautious Hinton, Altman is a single-minded torpedo, racing toward his target without looking left or right.
Sutskever is tempted to join the new company, hoping to realize his vision without the restrictions imposed by his aging, hesitant mentor. Altman courts him, promising to remove regulatory obstacles standing in the way of that vision. He also removes emotional barriers, working his way into Sutskever's heart as his new best friend.
From 'Artificial'
(Photo: Courtesy of Neon)
Of course, this is no genuine friendship. Unlike Sutskever, Altman lies. Constantly. His nose may not grow like Pinocchio's, but he knows how to produce a fake tear whenever necessary, at the push of an emotional button. The tireless entrepreneur bluffs, improvises and manipulates. He is as artificial as the computer intelligence he promotes.
Their relationship is tested repeatedly throughout the film, and the innocent Ilya fails those tests time and again. He keeps repeating his mantra, "Feel the AGI," only to discover that those around him have become so devoted to machines and their commercial potential that they have stopped feeling anything for other human beings. They have stopped feeling, period.
Even Dario Amodei (Will Angus), who leaves OpenAI after concluding that it has lost its moral compass and goes on to establish the rival, supposedly "ethical" company Anthropic, finds himself trapped inside the sandbox of his own creation, unable to escape.
After introducing Hollywood to Timothée Chalamet, and himself, with the homoerotic drama "Call Me by Your Name" (2017), Guadagnino continued working in the United States, becoming known primarily as a sly, mischievous queer provocateur with a taste for on-screen controversy.
Some remember the much-discussed kiss between Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist in his "Challengers" (2024), Daniel Craig's wig in "Queer" (2024), or his challenge to campus political correctness in "After the Hunt" (2025), starring Julia Roberts and Garfield.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, really
(Photo: Getty Images)
Those who are not among his admirers, including this writer, tend to see his stylistic tricks as empty pretension or exercises in emotional manipulation that undermine the authenticity of his work.
This time, however, the unsettling coldness that characterizes his films works remarkably well, particularly in a story drawn from real life that feels like a cross between "The Social Network", "American Psycho" and "Revenge of the Nerds."
Once again, the characters are infantile men incapable of processing their emotions: narcissistic, shallow incel types, seemingly on the verge of autism. Much like the software they create.
This is particularly true of Altman, whose relationship with his partner is depicted as passionless, cold and plastic.
The only character with genuine psychological depth, combining rational intelligence with compassion, is chief technology officer Mira Murati, played by Monica Barbaro, Garfield's real-life partner.
Guadagnino, cynical and emotionally detached as ever, delivers a clear and urgent warning. The pursuit of short-term profits threatens to destroy the world in the long run, whether through artificial intelligence or through environmental destruction and global warming, all amid an escalating arms race with Google and other competitors.
From 'Artificial'
(Photo: Courtesy of Neon)
Altman thinks like AGI. Experiments have shown that advanced AI systems will do anything to win games, including cheat. And so does the OpenAI boss, who adopts the machine's methods. If he cannot win under the existing rules governing capital and infrastructure, he can simply change the rules, lie and deceive both the board of directors and the market.
Through cunning and a series of elaborate maneuvers, he seizes control of the company, manipulating Sutskever and others for selfish reasons that do not necessarily align with the purpose for which the technology was developed: benefiting humanity.
The only character in the film who dares to express genuine opposition to artificial intelligence is an eccentric figure played by Jason Schwartzman. Like a prophet of doom, he delivers a fiery warning about two possible futures. In one, dictators and business leaders use AI to manipulate humanity for their own benefit. In the other, artificial intelligence itself does the manipulating, becoming humanity's supreme ruler.
It is entirely possible that "Artificial" itself is a product of this nightmare vision.
Perhaps this is one of the last times we will be able to watch films that oppose AI. For now, billionaires such as Jeff Bezos and Musk are the ones censoring us. Very soon, it may be the machines themselves.