Luca Guadagnino won't discuss Amazon dropping 'Artificial'
Luca Guadagnino says he can't discuss Amazon MGM dropping his Sam Altman biopic "Artificial" because filmmakers are "right in the middle of this situation." After the studio exited the nearly finished Andrew Garfield drama, the Italian director spoke Friday on Italy's La7 Attualità about AI instead—arguing the technology is changing the identity of the United States and the wider world. Amazon dropped the OpenAI-focused film months after a major partnership deal.
After Amazon MGM dropped Luca Guadagnino's movie about OpenAI founder Sam Altman, the director commented on his feelings about artificial intelligence but declined to speak about the film specifically. Host Lilli Gruber asked on the show "Otto e Mezzo" why the project was perceived as dangerous; Guadagnino said he could not say much while the situation unfolds. For more streaming and film fallout, see our Streaming & TV Alerts coverage.
Key Takeaways
- Guadagnino will not comment on Amazon dropping "Artificial" while the film seeks a new distributor.
- He called AI a flawed tool whose real issue is how it generates knowledge and creative works.
- Amazon exited the $40 million film after a major OpenAI deal including a $50 billion investment.
- Mubi is still circling the Andrew Garfield-led drama; Netflix, A24 and Focus passed, per Variety.
- Guadagnino linked San Francisco's tech wealth and street-level despair as the film's defining image.
Why Can't Guadagnino Discuss Amazon Dropping 'Artificial'?
When Gruber pressed Guadagnino on why "Artificial" was seen as dangerous, he said, "Unfortunately, I can't say much because we are right in the middle of this situation." That restraint leaves unanswered whether Amazon's decision was tied to its OpenAI partnership.
Amazon MGM dropped the nearly completed film after striking a deal to expand OpenAI's use of Amazon Web Services and develop custom AI models, including a $50 billion investment. Mubi is among distributors still circling the project starring Garfield as Altman, according to Variety.
What Did Guadagnino Say About Artificial Intelligence?
Guadagnino drew a line between AI itself and its applications. "To me, the issue isn't artificial intelligence itself," he said, pointing instead to the tool used to generate research, video or images.
He described current AI as "a technological gadget—and not a particularly sophisticated one, at that—full of flaws, though it will likely improve over time." Scientists pursuing artificial general intelligence, he added, believe it may one day become sentient despite relying on scraped data and heavy energy and water use.
What interests him most is cultural change. Guadagnino said people are "completely changing the face" of society and "the very face of the identity of a place like the United States and the entire world" through consumption habits and daily interaction with these tools.
How Does 'Artificial' Reflect San Francisco's Tech Divide?
Guadagnino compared today's pressures to CBS canceling a Reagan drama in 2003 after Republican pushback—a series that later aired on a smaller channel. He then pivoted from politics to the imagery driving "Artificial."
Part of the film was shot in San Francisco, which he called "one of the great, distinguished U.S. cities, Alfred Hitchcock's city." He described "great beauty but also great despair," with homeless residents and fentanyl crises while "silent, self-driving cars glided past them." That contrast, he said, is "a disturbing image—more than just disturbing."
What Happens to 'Artificial' After Amazon's Exit?
Variety reported Sunday that Netflix, A24 and Focus were among distributors that passed on the film after Amazon dropped it. Ike Barinholtz co-stars as Elon Musk in the drama, which carries a reported $40 million budget.
With Guadagnino unable to discuss the studio exit directly, his most detailed public remarks so far focus on AI's world-shaping power and the visual story of a tech capital divided between innovation and hardship.