Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial” made its New York Film Festival debut Monday night, drawing an enthusiastic first wave of reactions for its darkly comic treatment of power, ambition and the rise of artificial intelligence.
The film centers on the turbulent 2023 period when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was fired and subsequently rehired by the company. Andrew Garfield plays Altman, with early viewers singling out his performance as one of the drama’s most unsettling elements.
Critic Matt Neglia called “Artificial” “as entertaining as it is terrifying,” describing it as a human story about “power, control, ambition, and greed.” He praised Garfield for capturing both Altman’s “disarming charm” and “unnerving malice,” while arguing that the film may be Guadagnino’s funniest and most frightening work yet.
Neglia also highlighted Yura Borisov’s performance as former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, describing the character as a brilliant figure confronting the moral consequences of what he helped create. Damon Albarn’s electronic and atmospheric score earned praise for establishing the mood of the technology-driven story.
A dark comedy with a corporate sting
Other initial responses similarly focused on the film’s mixture of humor and dread. Editor Eric Kohn labeled it a “pitch-perfect dark comedy” and said Garfield moves between “movie monster, buffoonish mogul, and evil genius.” He characterized the result as both fun and frightening.
Film critic Jairo Jiménez praised Guadagnino’s attack on Silicon Valley and called Garfield a standout. He described “Artificial” as a “feverish, visceral corporate drama,” with its real target located not in the machines but inside the boardroom.
Critic Clayton Davis went further, calling “Artificial” Guadagnino’s “best film in a decade” and praising both Garfield and Borisov for reaching new heights in their performances.
The subject matter is intentionally contentious, but Guadagnino has said he was not “afraid” of how Altman or any of the other people depicted might respond. “I think that people that have a lot of power should be very much aware that you must be responsible for the community,” the director said.
Altman did not meet Garfield, although he encountered the production filming near his home. The OpenAI CEO recalled walking out to get coffee and seeing cameras alongside an actor dressed like him and carrying the same backpack. Altman said Garfield “did walk like me,” adding that the scene felt like “some weird glitch of the simulation.”
“Artificial” overcame its own corporate upheaval
The $40 million production faced significant complications on its way to theaters. Neon closed a deal in June to complete the movie after Amazon MGM Studios dropped it months earlier. That decision followed the company’s major partnership with OpenAI, which included a $50 billion investment.
“Artificial” marks another collaboration between Guadagnino and Garfield following their work on 2025’s “After the Hunt.” The wider ensemble turns several prominent figures from the technology world into screen characters.
Ike Barinholtz plays OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk, while Monica Barbaro portrays former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati. Borisov takes on Sutskever, and Mark Rylance plays Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton.
Jason Schwartzman, Zosia Mamet, Cooper Hoffman, Chris O’Dowd, Cooper Koch and Billie Lourd also appear. Simon Rich, an “SNL” alum, wrote the screenplay.
What Happens Next?
Neon is preparing an awards campaign that will place Garfield and Rylance in the supporting actor category. Borisov will campaign as a lead actor, while Barbaro will compete in the supporting actress field.
Audiences will get their chance to weigh in when “Artificial” opens in theaters on Christmas Day through Neon. For now, its first festival reception positions Guadagnino’s film as a provocative, comic and deeply unnerving look at the people behind the AI boom—and the potential consequences of the power they hold.