Andrew Garfield, known for his roles in films like The Social Network, is set to portray Sam Altman, the influential founder of OpenAI and creator of the AI tool ChatGPT, in the upcoming film Artificial. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the movie dramatizes Altman's controversial firing and subsequent rehiring from OpenAI in 2023. Garfield has expressed concern about the public's reaction to his performance, stating in an interview with the SmartLess podcast that he is "really scared" about how people might respond, particularly because he is playing "one of arguably the most powerful people on this planet right now, or an interpretation of this person." He emphasized that his portrayal is based on research, imagination, and the script, rather than a direct meeting with Altman. Garfield clarified that the film does not aim to portray Altman as either a villain or a hero, but instead explores the complex, "grey area of what it is to be human." The film faced early challenges when Amazon MGM Studios, which had been involved in the project, decided to withdraw as the distributor earlier this year. In June, Amazon stated it would "be better served if it were released by a different studio." This decision left the film without a distributor, but it was eventually acquired by Neon, an independent film distributor, in a competitive bidding process. Garfield said he was both surprised and unsurprised by Amazon's decision, noting that the studio had been supportive during production. Co-star Cooper Hoffman, who plays OpenAI chairman Greg Brockman in the film, also said he was not surprised by Amazon's choice and welcomed Neon's involvement. Artificial, written by former Saturday Night Live writer Simon Rich, features a cast that includes Monica Barbaro, Yura Borisov, Mark Rylance, Jason Schwartzman, Zosia Mamet, and Ike Barinholtz, who portrays Elon Musk. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on October 5. Garfield's previous role as Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network made him a familiar face in portrayals of tech industry figures, but he has stressed that this film is not meant to take sides in the real-life events it depicts. Instead, it aims to explore the human complexities behind the high-stakes world of artificial intelligence.