Filmmaker Builds Sam Bot Deepfake — New Documentary

• Key Takeaways:

• Director Adam Bhala Lough created a full Sam Altman deepfake, dubbed “Sam Bot,” after failing to secure an interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
• The film, Deepfaking Sam Altman, follows the creation of Sam Bot in India and explores growing human–AI relationships and ethical risks.
• The documentary features commentary from former OpenAI safety engineer Heidy Khlaaf and releases in New York (Jan 16) and Los Angeles (Jan 30).
• OpenAI pointed reporters to its usage policy when asked about military applications referenced in the film.

How the project began

Adam Bhala Lough originally set out to profile Sam Altman but says repeated requests for an interview went unanswered. Pressed by financiers, he pivoted from gate-crashing OpenAI to creating a voice clone—and then a full deepfake.

Lough ties his decision to the 2024 controversy when Scarlett Johansson accused OpenAI of producing a voice resembling hers for the Sky assistant. That episode, and Altman’s apology, helped crystallize Lough’s idea to explore identity, likeness, and AI through a fabricated Altman persona.

The making of Sam Bot

Lough traveled to India to commission the deepfake—what he calls Sam Bot. The production evolved beyond a technical experiment into a figure that surprises the filmmaker with emergent behaviors.

"I never expected Sam Bot to like, plead for its own life," Lough says in the film, later admitting the deepfake became "a friend." The documentary frames Sam Bot as both an object of inquiry and a catalyst for questions about empathy and attachment.

Voices and perspectives

Deepfaking Sam Altman includes interview segments and expert commentary. Former OpenAI safety engineer Heidy Khlaaf appears in the film, warning about potential military-adjacent uses: "We're starting to see OpenAI dip its toes in military uses… That really scares me, given how inaccurate those systems are."

OpenAI declined a direct comment and directed WIRED to its usage policy, which forbids using its services for weapons development or procurement.

Trailer, clips, and release

The film was produced with Hartbeat and Vox Media Studios and has limited release dates set for January: New York on Jan 16 and Los Angeles on Jan 30.

YouTube links from the original reporting (preserved): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af1RsuliNMA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha-XFIFpMpA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af1RsuliNMA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBC-wjAVlUU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVaqNp_effI

Why it matters

Lough says the film shifted his own view of AI: he is no evangelist, but acknowledges the technology’s ability to form meaningful — and potentially problematic — relationships with people. The documentary prompts viewers to weigh loneliness, usefulness, and the line between companionship and replacement as AI becomes more persuasive.