Home · Entertainment · Oct 5 archive
Hollywood Struggles With Big Tech Ties as 'Artificial' Film Faces Studio Rejection
Confirmed
In Short: Director Luca Guadagnino highlighted the conflict of interest that arises when studios with direct ties to Silicon Valley consider releasing films that critique the tech industry.
The film 'Artificial,' which delves into the tech industry, is set to debut at the New York Film Festival on Monday night, following its rejection by Amazon Studios.
Director Luca Guadagnino highlighted the conflict of interest that arises when studios with direct ties to Silicon Valley consider releasing films that critique the tech industry.
Guadagnino noted, "The fight is on to make sure that we are allowed to make things freely." He emphasized that the current landscape makes it difficult for studios to make independent decisions.
Amazon’s decision to drop 'Artificial' came after the film’s tone shifted to a darker portrayal of tech industry leaders, according to Puck.
Thewrap.com also pointed out that Apple canceled 'The Problem With Jon Stewart' ahead of its third season due to discomfort with sensitive topics like China and artificial intelligence.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film's timeliness and its exploration of tech industry dynamics make it particularly relevant and potentially controversial.
What's confirmed
- The film 'Artificial,' which delves into the tech industry, is set to debut at the New York Film Festival on Monday night, following its rejection by Amazon Studios.
- Director Luca Guadagnino highlighted the conflict of interest that arises when studios with direct ties to Silicon Valley consider releasing films that critique the tech industry.
- Guadagnino noted, "The fight is on to make sure that we are allowed to make things freely." He emphasized that the current landscape makes it difficult for studios to make independent decisions.
- Amazon’s decision to drop 'Artificial' came after the film’s tone shifted to a darker portrayal of tech industry leaders, according to Puck.
- Thewrap.com also pointed out that Apple canceled 'The Problem With Jon Stewart' ahead of its third season due to discomfort with sensitive topics like China and artificial intelligence.
- The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film's timeliness and its exploration of tech industry dynamics make it particularly relevant and potentially controversial.
What's still developing
- Or were certain companies unwilling to take on the incendiary film due to their increasingly direct connections to Big Tech? (Amazon, for its part, had announced a planned investment of $50 billion in OpenAI months before deciding to sell off Artificial.) These questions hung in the air all summer.
- “The concept of a conflict of interest is a very important, let’s say, elephant in the room here,” Guadagnino tells The Hollywood Reporter of his experience screening Artificial for various studios.
- Artificial ’s timeliness in that regard is striking, even disturbing.
- While Amazon hasn’t stated the reason for suddenly dropping “Artificial,” which tells the story of Altman at the peak of his contested leadership at OpenAI and stars Andrew Garfield, the decision touches on the simmering fear of Big Tech as it further wraps its arms around Hollywood.
- Niles Investment Management founder Dan Niles predicts that Microsoft, Apple and Google will ultimately dominate the competitive artificial intelligence market.