The film explores the rise of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, tracing its development over two decades and revisiting the dramatic events of 2023 when Altman was briefly removed as chief executive before being reinstated days later.
Speaking about his decision to take on the role, Garfield said he wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the people whose decisions are helping shape the next phase of technological development and its implications for society.
"I think the reason I was drawn to it was just pure curiosity and fear and really trying to understand as deeply as possible the people who are ushering us into this next phase of the world," Garfield said.
The actor, who previously portrayed Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in the 2010 film The Social Network, said the influence wielded by leaders of major technology companies made their stories important subjects for public scrutiny.
"There's a sense of courage and imagination and resilience these people at the top of these companies must have, the ability to withstand so much criticism and such a microscopic lens on them as people. And it's important that we do that because we need to know who's in power and who's creating our new world," he said.
Despite taking on the role of one of the technology industry's most recognisable executives, Garfield said he did not contact or meet Altman while preparing for the performance.
"I don't know Sam and I have a lot of compassion for a person who's my age, almost, and there's a movie being made about him," Garfield said. "It's not him, but it's an idea of what this story is and his part in it."
OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment. Altman, however, told Vanity Fair in an interview that he was not expecting an "accurate depiction" of himself in the film.
Film revisits OpenAI's internal conflict
Written by Emmy-winning Saturday Night Live writer Simon Rich, Artificial examines the internal disagreements that have shaped OpenAI, particularly the tensions between Altman and former chief scientist and co-founder Ilya Sutskever over the company's leadership and approach to AI safety.
Russian actor Yura Borisov, an Oscar nominee, portrays Sutskever, who left OpenAI after his involvement in the events surrounding Altman's brief removal. The film also features Mark Rylance as Geoffrey Hinton, the computer scientist widely known as the "Godfather of AI" for his pioneering work in the field.
The cast includes Ike Barinholtz as Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, OpenAI's former chief technology officer.
By focusing on the disagreements between prominent figures in the AI industry, the film explores questions surrounding corporate power, technological progress and the responsibility of those developing increasingly capable artificial intelligence systems.
Altman's brief departure from OpenAI in November 2023 triggered a major corporate crisis, drawing attention to the company's governance and the competing priorities surrounding the development and deployment of advanced AI.
Sutskever was among the board members involved in the decision to remove Altman, although the precise motivations and disagreements surrounding the episode were complex. The film uses these events as part of a broader examination of the tension between commercial ambitions and concerns about AI safety.
Actors confronted the changing AI debate on set
Shot in 2025, Artificial arrives amid intensifying public debate about the risks and opportunities associated with increasingly powerful AI systems.
Concerns about the technology include the possibility that advanced systems could behave in unexpected ways, become difficult to control or create risks if deployed without adequate safeguards. Such questions have become increasingly prominent as companies compete to develop more capable models and expand their commercial applications.
Barbaro said the continuing developments in the AI industry made portraying real-life technology figures an unusual experience because the events being depicted were still unfolding.
"It's so fascinating making a film like this when the topic is so relevant right now," Barbaro said. "We'd be on set, watching two people argue with each other on Twitter, who we were portraying in this movie. It was really wild to have that experience. It's exciting and it's also really daunting because you want to be truthful, but the truth seems to change every month."
Her comments highlight a challenge facing filmmakers tackling contemporary technology stories: the people and events portrayed remain part of an evolving debate, with new developments potentially changing public perceptions even while a film is being produced or released.
For Garfield, the role also raises broader questions about the influence of technology executives whose decisions increasingly affect how people work, communicate and access information.
With its London premiere, Artificial brings the story of OpenAI's leadership disputes and the wider debate over AI development to the screen, inviting audiences to consider the individuals driving the technology and the consequences of the power they hold.