The first trailer for Artificial gives viewers a tense look at Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of Sam Altman. The film focuses on the power struggle inside OpenAI during its 2023 leadership crisis, when Altman was removed as CEO.
Altman returned to the company just days later, turning the real-life dispute into the central conflict of the movie.
A Trailer Built Around a Real-World Power Struggle
The preview focuses on the people and decisions surrounding OpenAI’s rise, rather than presenting the story as a straightforward technology success story. Garfield’s Altman discusses the launch of ChatGPT and the consequences of creating a technology that could reshape society.
One of the trailer’s most striking moments comes when Altman warns, “Countries will fall. Industries are gonna collapse.”
The line captures the film’s darker approach to the promises and risks of artificial intelligence.
What Artificial Is About
Artificial is set during the events of November 2023, when OpenAI’s board removed Altman from his position. Mira Murati, played by Monica Barbaro, was named interim CEO before Altman returned to the company within days. The film uses that turbulent period to examine the competing interests and personal tensions inside the AI company.
The project is directed by Luca Guadagnino, known for Challengers and After the Hunt, and written by Simon Rich.
The cast also includes Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever, Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, and Mark Rylance.
Why Andrew Garfield’s Role Is Drawing Attention
Garfield is returning to the world of Silicon Valley drama after playing Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network. That connection has already led some viewers to compare Artificial to a spiritual follow-up to the 2010 film, although the two movies are not directly connected.
In an interview with BroBible’s Post Credit Podcast, Garfield discussed filming Artificial before his historical drama The Uprising. He described the two roles as very different experiences, with one portraying a modern tech leader and the other focusing on someone living under the decisions of powerful figures.
The trailer also gives viewers an insight into the film’s unsettling tone. Its portrayal of Altman is surrounded by questions about technological power, ambition, and the possible consequences of AI, making the story feel more like a psychological drama than a conventional business biopic.
