Andrew Garfield's "thrilling" drama with "remarkable" cast confirms UK release date

Andrew Garfield's upcoming drama Artificial has confirmed its release date in the UK. The movie centres around Sam Altman, real-life CEO of OpenAI - the artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT.

According to the synopsis, Artificial "chronicles the incredibly consequential days leading up to the sudden firing and reinstatement of Sam Altman, as the fate of who gets to control the technology at the centre of an AI arms race hangs in the balance."

The movie is directed by Luca Guadagnino and will be released in UK and Irish cinemas on 22 January 2027.

Related: UK film release dates

Ahead of its cinematic release, Artificial will receive its world premiere at New York Film Festival on 5 October. It will have its first UK screening on 11 October as part of the 70th BFI London Film Festival.

Described as "thrilling, funny, and very human", the drama is said to propel viewers "through the two decades of machine learning research and technocratic recklessness that have brought us to our current AI crisis point."

The story takes us back to 2003, when Soviet-born computer scientist Ilya Sutskever began studying artificial neural networks. He worked under the guidance of Geoffrey Hinton, a professor at the University of Toronto, known as the "Godfather of AI".

"A decade later, while employed by Google, Sutskever fatefully crosses paths with a young entrepreneur named Sam Altman, the eventual co-founder and CEO of OpenAI," the description reads.

Related: First look at Andrew Garfield's highly-anticipated drama as it confirms first UK screening

Garfield will lead the project as Altman, opposite Yura Borisov and Mark Rylance, who play Sutskever and Hinton, respectively.

The "remarkable" supporting cast include Top Gun: Maverick's Monica Barbaro, The Long Walk star Cooper Hoffman, The Mindy Project's Ike Barinholtz, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes actor Jason Schwartzman and The IT Crowd's Chris O'Dowd.

Artificial will be released in UK and Irish cinemas on 22 January 2027.

Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.

The new edition of Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Ariana Grande, is here! Buy Ariana Grande in newsagents or online.

Divya is a freelance writer with experience in entertainment and lifestyle news. Described as a "telly addict" since childhood, Divya was able to translate her interests into a BJTC-accredited, Honours degree in Journalism and Media. After working in communications and marketing, Divya joined Digital Spy as a Freelance News Reporter. She has also written for various publications including Metro, Asian World News and TwitCelebGossip; as well as interviews, features and reviews on her own blog. Divya prides herself on her TV, film and showbiz knowledge, always offering (not so) fun facts to her long-suffering friends and family. From soaps to superheroes, Divya is the go-to person for tailored recommendations and up to date information.