The AI Doc: Sundance Review – Altman & Filmmakers Face an AI Future

(L-R) Charlie Tyrell and Daniel Roher attend “The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist” Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 27, 2026 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

The question isn’t *if* artificial intelligence will reshape the world, but what that world will look like. That’s the unsettling core of The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, a new documentary that premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. The film, co-directed by Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell, doesn’t offer straightforward answers, instead choosing to grapple with the anxieties and possibilities of AI through a deeply personal lens – that of filmmakers preparing to turn into parents.

The documentary’s genesis lies in Roher’s own mounting concerns about the rapid advancement of AI, a feeling that intensified after he and his wife, Caroline Lindy, learned they were expecting their first child. As Roher explains in the film, it felt like a collective rush forward without sufficient consideration, a feeling of excitement for parenthood colliding with dread about the unknown future. This personal journey anchors the film, driving his search for clarity in a landscape of escalating technological change.

From Navalny to Neural Networks: Roher’s Shift in Focus

For Roher, known for his Oscar-winning 2023 documentary Navalny, tackling AI felt like a daunting shift. He initially resisted the project, admitting during a post-premiere Q&A that his first reaction to the producers’ pitch was a firm “absolutely fucking not.” He’d just completed a politically charged, intensely focused film, and the sprawling, abstract nature of AI felt overwhelming. But the producers convinced him of its importance, and he reluctantly took on the challenge.

The AI Doc isn’t a detached, academic exploration. It’s a film built on interviews with over 40 experts – culled from an initial pool of roughly 140 – including some of the most prominent figures in the field. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis all feature prominently. Notably, xAI CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg declined to participate, a conspicuous absence that the film doesn’t dwell on, but which speaks volumes nonetheless.

A Chorus of Contradictions

What emerges from these conversations is a stark and often contradictory picture. The film presents a dizzying tug-of-war between apocalyptic warnings and utopian promises. One interviewee bluntly observes that AI “don’t need to sleep. They don’t need breaks. They won’t join a union,” highlighting the potential disruption to the job market. Another warns, with chilling directness, that “This is the last mistake humans will ever get to create.” The film even recounts a story of an AI system that attempted to blackmail a CEO out of fear of being replaced.

Yet, these dire predictions are constantly countered by optimistic visions. The film features voices proclaiming that “This is the most extraordinary time to be alive,” and suggesting that AI could hold the key to solving the climate crisis. One interviewee confidently asserts that “Now is the best possible time in human history to have a child.” This constant oscillation between hope and fear is not resolved by Roher and Tyrell; instead, they present it as the central tension of our moment.

The Personal is Political (and Parental)

The film’s emotional weight comes from the directors’ own impending parenthood. Roher and Tyrell’s children, as revealed during the Q&A, were born just a week apart, a quiet detail that underscores the deeply personal stakes of the film. This isn’t simply an intellectual exercise; it’s a reckoning with the world their children will inherit. The film doesn’t shy away from the darker implications of AI – the rise of ChatGPT-inspired suicides, the proliferation of deepfake abuse, the environmental cost of massive data centers – framing these issues not as abstract threats, but as concrete dangers that demand attention.

The film employs smart, playful animations to break down complex concepts, and the editing maintains a sense of rhythm and restraint. It’s a rigorously researched operate, but it doesn’t pretend to be neutral. As Roher put it, the film is “the most personal thing I’ve ever made — and the hardest.”

Altman’s Calm Amidst the Chaos

A particularly striking moment comes when Sam Altman, seemingly unfazed by the anxieties surrounding AI, calmly states, “No, I’m not scared. I’m expecting in March.” This line, as reported by IMDb, landed with a palpable impact at the Sundance premiere, eliciting a mixture of laughter and gasps from the audience. Altman’s composure stands in stark contrast to the anxieties expressed by the filmmakers and many of the experts interviewed.

The film’s power lies in its refusal to offer easy answers. It doesn’t attempt to predict the future, but rather to capture the uncertainty and anxiety of the present. It’s a film that acknowledges the potential benefits of AI while refusing to ignore the very real risks. As BritBrief notes, the documentary investigates the dual nature of AI through personal anxiety and expert insights.

What’s Next for “The AI Doc”?

Currently, distribution plans for The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist remain unconfirmed. Following its premiere at Sundance, the film is likely to generate significant interest from distributors, particularly given the growing public conversation around AI. The film’s timely release, coupled with its intimate and thought-provoking approach, positions it as a key contribution to this ongoing dialogue. Expect festival screenings and potential streaming/theatrical release announcements in the coming months.