Andrew Garfield Terrified By AI After Sam Altman Biopic: 'I Got Scared!'

Actor Andrew Garfield, known for his roles including Spider-Man, has taken on the challenging portrayal of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in Luca Guadagnino’s latest film, “Artificial”. The movie delves into OpenAI’s origin story and the dramatic events surrounding Altman’s brief ousting in 2023, a period from which he was reinstated just five days later. Garfield’s immersion in the role and the subject matter had a profound personal impact, leading him to abandon his use of ChatGPT entirely. He expressed feeling “scared” and a sense of “mistrusting of the technology,” particularly noting that “the people who are encouraging us to use the technologies don’t exactly know its capacities themselves.”

“Artificial” directly addresses the ongoing public backlash against OpenAI regarding its rapid advancement of artificial intelligence without adequately addressing safety concerns. This conflict forms the core narrative of the film. Garfield, who admitted to using ChatGPT previously as a “fancy Google for some research purposes,” stated he luckily doesn’t need it in his life as much as others in different industries might. The broader societal concern about AI is significant, with Pew Research Center indicating that over half of Americans are more concerned than excited about its increasing presence. Within Hollywood, what was once a theoretical concern has escalated to a primary worry for creatives. However, Garfield remains optimistic about the future of acting, believing that actors, as holders of “the soul of humanity,” will not be rendered useless by AI.

Garfield’s performance as Sam Altman has garnered significant critical acclaim since “Artificial” premiered at the New York Film Festival. Critics like Variety’s Clayton Davis lauded his “Norman Bates-inspired turn” and have tipped him as a potential frontrunner for a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the upcoming Academy Awards. Will Angus, who plays former OpenAI employee Dario Amodei in the film, praised Garfield's meticulous attention to detail, citing his vocal fry, walk, and head movements as “spooky” in their accuracy. Even Sam Altman himself complimented Garfield’s replication of his mannerisms, despite not expecting the film to be an entirely accurate depiction of his experience. Garfield, acknowledging the surreal nature of portraying a living person, expressed compassion for Altman, recognizing the vulnerability such an experience must entail.

“Artificial,” directed by the acclaimed Luca Guadagnino, marks Garfield’s third and final film release of 2026. Following its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 5, the film is scheduled for a theatrical release on December 25. The cast also features Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever, Cooper Hoffman as Greg Brockman, and Jason Schwartzman, among others. Critics have overwhelmingly praised the biopic, with “Artificial” achieving a near-perfect 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it Garfield’s highest-scoring film in 12 years. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called it “among Guadagnino’s best work,” while Owen Gleiberman of Variety described it as “a movie that’s at once inspiring and deeply chilling,” and Zachary Lee of TheWrap profoundly dubbed it “the world’s obituary.”