‘AI Doc’ review: Sam Altman, other tech giants appear in timely film

In 1964, the famous British science writer Arthur Clarke said that computers with electronic brains are “absolutely insane” but that in another generation they will eventually “completely surpass their creators.”

That prediction – or warning, depending on how you view artificial intelligence – is how Focus Features begins its new film “The AI ​​Doc: or How I Became an Apocaloptimist.”

Our guide navigating the chaotic AI world we find ourselves in is the film’s director, Daniel Roher, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “Navalny.” With a baby on the way. Roher is trying to find answers to whether her children will succeed or suffer as AI continues to advance at an incredible pace.

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“AI Doc” is a crash course on the topic divided into three parts. First we hear about the watchers who predict the end of days. Then we hear from optimists who believe that emerging technology will solve all the world’s problems. Finally in the third act, we hear about the tech giants leading the AI ​​race – at least those who are willing to participate.

One of the most striking illustrations of how different the views of alarmists and optimists are is when Roher asks them whether people should have children.

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Roher talks to a bunch of AI experts with different thoughts. Three who best describe the complex nature of the AI ​​times we live in are author/professor Yuval Noah Harari and Center for Humane Technology co-founders Aza Raskin and Tristin Harris, the latter known for his appearance in the 2020 Netflix documentary “The Social Dilemma.” As Harris explained to Roher, it is impossible to separate the promises and dangers of AI.

The documentary tackles all the hot topics in AI from data centers to deep lies and the international race to the top (or bottom, frankly) of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). Roher sits down with three of the five CEOs pioneering AI in the US: Open AI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Google Deepmind founder Demis Hassabis (xAI CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg forwarded interview requests).

A still from “AI Doc: or How I Became an Apocaloptimist,” a Focus Features release. (Courtesy of Focused Features. © 2025 All Rights Reserved.)

I personally am not completely afraid of AI as a whole. I use it for work and I can see it helping society in the future, but I can’t help but keep looking over my shoulder to see if one day it will take over my job (fingers crossed that AI can’t do human art, smart movie reviews and me at least for a while).

Roher is the perfect vessel to capture the fatigue and anxiety the general public feels about AI. But this documentary by him and co-director Charlie Tyrell isn’t meant to solve all the questions we have — that’s because no one really has the answers to where AI is going, not even the AI ​​titans Roher talks to.

Throwing his weight around as producer is Oscar-winning director of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Daniel Kwan. Another nod deserves art director Benjamin Fieschi-Rose, who enhances the film with fun, stop-motion animation.

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A still from “AI Doc: or How I Became an Apocaloptimist,” a Focus Features release. (Courtesy of Focused Features. © 2025 All Rights Reserved.)

The decision

“AI Doc” is a timely, thought-provoking original examination of the technologies that rule the world. Roher’s personal journey elevates what would be a solid instructional video perfect for a science classroom. We often watch movies to escape from everyday life — this documentary does the opposite of what it was intended to do.

★★★☆ – BROADCAST LATER

“AI Doc: or How to Be an Apocaloptimist” is rated PG-13 for language. Running time: 1 hour, 43 min. In select theaters now.

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