Andrew Garfield says playing Sam Altman left him scared of AI

Sam Altman was walking to get coffee when he saw himself. Same backpack, same stride, cameras everywhere. It was Andrew Garfield filming "Artificial" on Altman's street, and the OpenAI CEO told Vanity Fair it felt like a glitch in the simulation.

Now Garfield has shared his experience of how the role affected him. It did not turn him into a believer.

Andrew Garfield on Sam Altman and artificial intelligence

According to Variety, Garfield emerged from the interview feeling both scared and suspicious towards the technology. His fear is particular because those who develop artificial intelligence and encourage you to adopt it do not understand what it can actually do. Garfield believes that it is irresponsible.

Garfield uses ChatGPT, but only to conduct research. It is like an improved version of a search engine. As an actor, he does not need it as much as representatives of other industries do.

What is "artificial" about?

Luca Guadagnino directs the film, which follows the turbulent stretch in 2023 when Altman was briefly ousted from OpenAI. The cast reads like a Silicon Valley roll call:

• Yura Borisov plays Ilya Sutskever.
• Monica Barbaro plays Mira Murati.
• Ike Barinholtz plays Elon Musk.
• Cooper Hoffman plays Greg Brockman.
• It opens in select theatres on Christmas Day.

Altman isn't expecting a documentary. He told Politico's Decoded he was sure it wouldn't be accurate, but he hoped it would be funny and enjoyable.

He has seen the trailer, too. He told Vanity Fair that Garfield has nailed his quirky mannerisms, and he called the experience of watching someone do that very strange.

The real test arrives on December 25.