AI fears are growing – and unsettling new film Artificial puts them, and the future of humanity, centre stage

Artificial arrives with off-screen baggage that has only raised its profile. Amazon MGM Studios developed and financed the film, but in June announced that they would not release it. The timing raised eyebrows because, four months before that, Amazon invested $50m in a partnership with Open AI, where Altman is CEO. Amazon’s only comment has been its statement, “We believe that Artificial will be better served if it were released by a different studio.” Guadagnino said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, “The concept of a conflict of interest is a very important, let’s say, elephant in the room here.” And a Vanity Fair interview asked Altman whether he had spoken to Amazon or its head, Jeff Bezos, about dropping the film. He said, “I did not and I don’t know of anyone else who did.” In the end, Neon bought the film and will release it in cinemas in December in the US and January in the UK, well-timed to latch onto its current Oscar buzz.