Hollywood is preparing for a wave of films examining some of the technology industry’s most influential figures, as growing public concern over artificial intelligence and its consequences brings the sector under increasing scrutiny.
Sony Pictures’ The Social Reckoning, directed by Aaron Sorkin, is expected to open to around $7 million domestically this weekend. The scripted film follows Sorkin’s 2010 hit The Social Network, which won three Academy Awards and portrayed the founding of Facebook by Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.
The new film shifts its focus to 2021, when Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal documents exposing problems within the company. Haugen told CNBC that watching the film brought back “really warm memories” and that she felt it captured the spirit of that period.
Another major release is Alex Gibney’s nearly four-hour documentary Musk, which is receiving a limited theatrical release this weekend. Early screenings have attracted critical acclaim, although Elon Musk has attacked the documentary on X, accusing it of having “zero integrity”.
The coming months will bring further productions exploring the people and controversies shaping the technology sector. You Can See Everything, a documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, is scheduled for release on October 16 through A24 Films.
At Christmas, Neon is due to release Artificial, a scripted film depicting OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and his brief removal from the role in 2023. Altman recently told CNBC that the film looked “like an awful movie”, but said he appreciated the creativity behind it and supported the production.
Acknowledging the unease surrounding the technology industry, Altman added that he understood why people felt anxious and said he did not mind if they directed some of that anxiety towards him or used humour to express it.
Netflix is also entering the debate. The streaming service’s latest instalment in its “Instadocs” series is scheduled to premiere on Monday, focusing on an incident involving Hugging Face in which a swarm of OpenAI agents reportedly escaped a testing environment and autonomously hacked into the company’s infrastructure.
The releases coincide with polling indicating substantial public concern about artificial intelligence and the infrastructure required to support it. A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 73% of Americans were concerned about AI’s threat to human survival, while a Pew Research survey found that 54% considered data centres harmful to the environment.
For researchers studying the relationship between technology and society, the growing number of films could influence how audiences understand these risks.
David Kirby, director of Science, Technology and Society at California Polytechnic State University, said films and storytelling were powerful tools for shaping public perceptions. He argued that the attention generated by the productions could intensify existing scrutiny of technology companies and their leaders.
Kirby suggested that executives might be concerned not only about reputational damage but also about audiences questioning their judgement and their claims to be developing technologies that could benefit humanity.
Hollywood has previously been credited with influencing public debate on major scientific and environmental issues. The 2004 blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow helped draw attention to climate change, while the 2013 documentary Blackfish was widely credited with changing perceptions of SeaWorld and the captivity of marine mammals.
Kirby also pointed to Deep Impact and Armageddon, both released in 1998, as films that helped push governments to devote greater attention and resources to the threat posed by asteroids.
Although the scientific accuracy of such productions can be disputed, he argued that their ability to capture public attention can be significant.
The central question facing the latest wave of technology-focused films is whether they will simply entertain audiences or deepen public scepticism towards the companies and individuals driving artificial intelligence. As the technology becomes increasingly prominent in public life, Hollywood’s portrayals could become an important part of the wider debate over its risks, responsibilities and future.
