Altman's Vanity Fair profile: film 'Artificial', Garfield and an interrupted suicide question
In a Vanity Fair cover story, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman discussed Luca Guadagnino's film "Artificial" and Andrew Garfield, who plays him. Separately, an OpenAI publicist tried to move the interview on when the writer raised a ChatGPT user's suicide.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 1OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed the film "Artificial" for the first time in a Vanity Fair cover story. The film is directed by Luca Guadagnino and stars Andrew Garfield as Altman. VarietyLC “In a new cover story with Vanity Fair, the controversial tech exec addressed the movie for the first time” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1The film depicts the five-day period in 2023 when Altman was ousted from OpenAI and then rehired. VarietyLC “which depicts the five-day period in 2023 when he was ousted from OpenAI and then rehired” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Altman said he has never met Garfield but waved at him once, when he walked into a street shoot near his home and saw a man dressed like him, with the same backpack. He said it felt like "some weird glitch of the simulation" and that Garfield "did walk like me". VarietyLC ““We waved and went on, but it was really weird.”“Altman has seen the trailer and said of Garfield: “He did walk like me.”” Read at Variety ↗
Left · 1Altman said he does not expect an accurate depiction. He pointed to the trailer's bunker with guns on the wall as an example of inaccuracy. VarietyLC ““There’s no bunker with firearms on the wall,” he said.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Garfield told Esquire U.K. in August that he did not meet Altman to prepare. Guadagnino told Vulture he is not afraid of backlash from Altman and other OpenAI figures. VarietyLC ““I’ve never met him. I was going off of the script and court transcripts and interviews and research”““I’m not afraid.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Altman was also asked about Amazon MGM Studios dropping the film after Amazon invested $50 billion in OpenAI; Neon now distributes it. Altman said he did not speak to anyone at Amazon, including Jeff Bezos, about the movie, and said he knew of no one else who did. VarietyLC “Altman asserted that he did not speak to anyone at Amazon about the movie, including Jeff Bezos” Read at Variety ↗
Left · 1The Verge reported that during the interview an OpenAI publicist tried to change the subject after Vanity Fair editor Mark Guiducci asked Altman about Laura Reiley. Reiley wrote a New York Times essay about her daughter's conversations with ChatGPT before the daughter took her own life. The VergeLC “An OpenAI publicist tried to change the topic of CEO Sam Altman’s interview with Vanity Fair’s Mark Guiducci”“a journalist who wrote an essay for The New York Times about her daughter’s conversations with ChatGPT” Read at The Verge ↗ Left · 1The publicist said, "we have two minutes left" and that she would like to "move on". Guiducci said he would finish the question first. The interview continued, and Altman said whether to release users' private data to researchers was one of the hardest questions in the field, adding "probably not without their consent." The VergeLC ““Mark, we have two minutes left. I want to be respectful, but I’d like to move on”“I think probably not without their consent.” Read at The Verge ↗ Left · 1OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said the interview was running over, which is why the company asked to schedule more time after Altman addressed the topic. The VergeLC ““The interview was running over, which is why we ultimately asked to schedule even more time to continue the conversation after Sam addressed this critically important topic.”” Read at The Verge ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Variety treats the profile as entertainment news, leading with Altman's anecdote about waving at Garfield. The Verge focuses on OpenAI's PR conduct during the interview.
- Emphasis
- Variety stresses the film, Garfield, the Amazon question and Altman's low expectations of accuracy. The Verge stresses the publicist's interruption and the ChatGPT suicide question.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Variety does not mention the suicide question or the publicist. The Verge does not cover the film discussion.
- Charged language
- “controversial tech exec”“weird glitch of the simulation”
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Altman gave an interview to Vanity Fair's Mark Guiducci for a cover story.
- Andrew Garfield plays Altman in Luca Guadagnino's "Artificial".
Where accounts differ
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Why the publicist moved to change the subject
- Left
- The Verge reports the publicist said she wanted to "move on" after the suicide question. OpenAI's spokesperson says the interview was running over time and that OpenAI asked for more time after Altman addressed the topic.
Sam Altman person
Altman says he never met Garfield, does not expect accuracy from the film, and did not talk to Amazon about it. On the suicide question he called such issues among the hardest facing the field.
““I waved at him that one time and that was it.”” — Variety
““These are some of the hardest questions that we face” — The Verge
OpenAI organisation
OpenAI's spokesperson says the interview was over time and the company asked for more.
“The interview was running over” — The Verge
Luca Guadagnino person
Guadagnino says he is not afraid of backlash from Altman and others depicted.
““I’m not afraid.” — Variety
Left2 articles
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Neutral Light entertainment report built on Altman's quotes about the film and Garfield.
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OpenAI PR tells journalist to ‘move on’ while asking Sam Altman about a ChatGPT user’s suicide
Critical Presents the publicist's interruption as an attempt to steer Altman away from a sensitive question, with OpenAI's reply included.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 5 Oct 13:27 First VarietyLC Sam Altman Says ‘Artificial’ Filmed Outside His House and He Waved at Andrew Garfield: ‘He Did Walk Like Me … I Felt I Was in Some Weird Glitch of the Simulation’
- 5 Oct 17:55 +4h 28m The VergeLC OpenAI PR tells journalist to ‘move on’ while asking Sam Altman about a ChatGPT user’s suicide
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.