Amazon Shelves “OpenAI” Exposé Film That the “Parasite” Distributor Takes Up

The pressure of massive technology capital could not stifle the work’s accusations against power. The film ‘Artificial (Artificial)’, which dissects the true face of the U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) empire ‘OpenAI’, finally makes it to the big screen after pushing past Big Tech’s blunt refusal.

The shadow of an “AI empire” that slipped past capital’s censorship

On the 1st (local time), according to AP and other major foreign outlets, ‘Neon (Neon)’, a longtime distributor powerhouse for North American independent films, has quickly acquired the global rights to ‘Artificial’. Neon has shown an eye for what matters, successfully launching the film ‘Parasite’ in the North American market. Neon said, “We will present an ambitious truth to audiences around the world in solidarity with promising creators,” and put its “bold entry” on the record.

This problem film zeroes in on the board shakeup and return involving ‘Sam Altman’, the CEO of OpenAI, whose ouster and reinstatement rocked the world in 2023. Director ‘Luca Guadagnino’, recognized for his aesthetic direction with ‘Call Me by Your Name’, is behind the camera. ‘Andrew Garfield’ stars as Altman, while ‘Aidan? Ick? Bearin? Holtz’—as ‘Elon Musk’—sparks a sharply honed acting showdown.

At first, ‘Amazon MGM Studios’ took on the project with a hefty investment of $40 million (about 62 billion won). But with a release next year just around the corner, it abruptly dropped the deal, sending shockwaves through Hollywood. Local outlets including the Los Angeles Times analyze that behind Amazon’s sudden change of heart is the film’s direct critique of ‘Big Tech’ and ‘the AI ecosystem’. In fact, Amazon has recently poured astronomical capital into the AI industry, and analysts point to the close “lovers’” relationship between founder Jeff Bezos and Altman as a decisive background factor behind the decision to walk away.

After Amazon pulled out, even major distributors such as Netflix and A24 expressed reluctance one after another. In the pre-screening, Altman in the film is portrayed as a thoroughly ‘untrustworthy person’, and Musk as the ‘ultimate embodiment of dislike’. Critics expect the work to carry period-defining impact that goes beyond ‘The Social Network’, a film that covers the backstory behind Facebook’s creation.

Inside and outside Hollywood, there is strong concern about a ‘chilling effect’, in which massive capital censors AI-criticism content. Robert Thompson, director of the B. Center for Popular Culture at Syracuse University, said, “Amazon’s surrender with the white flag sets a deadly precedent for the film industry,” adding, “In the future, every freedom of creation that criticizes entrenched technological power could be controlled by capital.”