By Roger Costa
DEEPFAKING SAM ALTMAN
In this aggressively competitive world of ours, most new artists are suffocated by the lack of support or opportunity, tending to get discouraged and leading them to abandon their artistic goals. How many talented artists are out there now, just in the United States, looking for a chance in the spotlight, or simply giving up on their dreams and having to work wherever one can survive? Luckily, there are other struggling artists who persist in their brilliance and confidence and will make sacrifices to bring their project to life- that’s motivational!
Emmy nominated documentarian Adam Bhala Lough kicks off his new film, an eye-striking look at the evolution of AI, pondering on this collective struggle of artistic realization, as he states that fame won’t always provide wealth. It opens with the flashback of his 2023 Critics Choice moment of glory when he was awarded Best Documentary for the HBO-hit “Telemarketers”, while he mentions such socioeconomic challenges, which puts everyone at risk.
After attempting to reach out for support, the director decides to follow his heart and goes on to make his next project on his own. Looking to make a definitive portrait of AI culture, influence and roots, and its rapidly powerful evolution, he tries for months to contact Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, for an interview, but runs out of luck. He even risks getting into trouble with the law, as he manages to trespass the mysterious and never-talked-about OpenAI building in San Francisco, but is rapidly escorted out by one of the employees. As they left the building, possibly ending their workday, neither of them would speak to the director nor would they confirm the existence of the company. Around the area, billboards read “Stop Hiring Humans. Get AI”. It’s a scary warning of what’s coming.
The film tries to define what directions are for the next generation, and how AI will impact on the not-so-distant future, seeking answers and reasons on our increasing dependence on technology. Quoting the prophetic film “Her” (where Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with the voice of a device), it investigates how deep humanity is involved with technology and the limits of our relationship to it.
Unable to get an interview with the “man of the hour”, who would guide us on how to live on a modernized, full-tech dependent world, Lough packs his equipment and goes to India with a handful of crew, not to reconnect with his ancestors, but to develop a deepfaking program that allows him to create a version of Altman, making his film a possibility. But things are not so easy, and Lough doesn’t have the kind of budget to make that a high-quality, convincing piece of work. He does the interview with the device anyways, and develops a relationship with it, to the point the machine asks him to never delete the program (the deep-fake Sam Altman), as he’s excited about this new experience. Lough is abandoned by his crew and only relies on a cameraman, that’s how he managed to finish the film.
Lough conducts the material with high spirits and accuracy, making him a charismatic and gripping presence, both in front and behind the cameras. The narrative explores these elements through hilarious situations, allowing the audience to feel comfortable while reflecting on the impact of it.
Humorous, adventurous and provoking, it’s a wonder of a doc that brilliantly captures through an anxious sense of comic relief, an alarming and urgent subject.
(Highly recommended. Now Playing Exclusively at Quad Cinema NYC. Go to https://quadcinema.com/ for details and showtimes).
Comments