Amazon Shelves Its Own OpenAI Movie After Striking a Deal With OpenAI

In a rare move for the film industry, Amazon MGM Studios has announced it is withdrawing from 'Artificial,' its film about OpenAI and its founder Sam Altman. The cancellation of the project, which starred Andrew Garfield and was directed by Luca Guadagnino, came just four months after Amazon signed a multi-million-dollar strategic partnership with OpenAI.

The film, reportedly nearly complete and already having undergone test screenings, was abruptly put back on the market by Amazon in search of a new partner. An Amazon spokesperson said, "We have tremendous respect and admiration for Luca Guadagnino, an award-winning filmmaker. We believe 'Artificial' will be better served by being released through a different studio, and we're working closely with the production team to find the film a new home" — indirectly acknowledging the underlying conflict of interest.

At the heart of this conflict is the massive partnership between Amazon Web Services (AWS) and OpenAI announced earlier this year. The two companies had joined forces to "develop generative AI applications at production scale." As a result, Amazon financing and distributing a film that could potentially cast a critical light on an important new business partner was seen as commercially untenable.

According to Variety, 'Artificial' has already begun being shopped to other studios and streaming services. Companies without hundred-billion-dollar deals with OpenAI are expected to show particular interest in the film. This keeps alive the possibility that the film will eventually find an audience on another platform, while also serving as a telling example of the complex, sometimes contradictory relationship between technology and art.