Amazon Blocks Unflattering Sam Altman Film, Apple Eyes Digital ID for AI Control, Pew Poll Reveals Deep AI Fear

**Adam Nagus** (0:05)
Welcome to Digimasters Shorts. We are your hosts, Adam Nagus.

**Carly Wilson** (0:09)
And Carly Wilson, delivering the latest scoop from the digital realm.
Amazon MGM Studios has withdrawn from releasing Artificial, a nearly completed $40 million biographical drama about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, four months after committing $50 billion to a strategic partnership with OpenAI.
The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Simon Rich, stars Andrew Garfield as Altman and dramatizes the 72-hour period in 2023, when OpenAI's board abruptly fired and then reinstated him. Industry sources say the movie portrays Altman in sharply unflattering terms, with one character calling him one of the most manipulative people on the planet. Amazon has offered no detailed explanation for dropping the film beyond saying it would be better served by another studio. The timing has raised questions, as Amazon's deal makes AWS the exclusive third-party cloud provider for OpenAI and positions the company to benefit significantly from OpenAI's planned IPO. Multiple studios including Netflix, A24, Focus Features and Warner Bros. Clockwork Label have passed on acquiring the film. MUBI has emerged as the leading contender with Neon also expressing interest. Media analysts point to a clear structural conflict of interest. Amazon is both a major investor in OpenAI and a film distributor holding a project that reportedly casts OpenAI's CEO in a negative light. Amazon has not confirmed that its investment influenced the decision, but one top agent described the connection as undoubtable. Artificial remains in final post-production with its filmmakers seeking a new distributor and a likely festival premiere later this year.

**Adam Nagus** (1:49)
Apple last year introduced digital ID on the iPhone, allowing users to store a US passport in Apple Wallet as a universal form of identification beyond the state-by-state rollout of digital drivers licenses. While the feature can already be used at TSA airport checkpoints, Apple has signaled broader ambitions around digital identity verification. That vision may soon intersect with the AI industry after Anthropic disabled its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models following new US export controls tied to a reported jailbreak.
The restrictions now block access to those models for foreign nationals inside and outside the United States, raising questions about how companies can reliably verify user nationality. Fable 5 had been launched with promises of strong safeguards, making the reported exploit particularly sensitive. One potential path to reinstating access could involve stricter identity checks to ensure only US citizens use the affected models. Anthropic has already referenced identity verification in past privacy updates and previously adopted Apple's built-in age verification API, showing a willingness to use Cupertino's tools. That precedent suggests Apple's digital ID system could theoretically serve as a nationality verification method, though no such plan has been confirmed. Any rollout would face limitations, including excluding users without iPhones, passports or supported digital IDs, but it could offer a privacy conscious alternative to third-party verification services as AI regulation titans.
Apple may have spent the past year playing catch up in artificial intelligence, but a new report suggests it is preparing an aggressive hardware comeback across 2026 and 2027 According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company is planning a crowded roadmap that includes the iPhone 18 Pro models and its first foldable iPhone, potentially branded as an iPhone Ultra. Updated Apple watches, refreshed Macs, a new entry-level iPad with Apple Intelligence support, and revamped home devices are also reportedly in development. The biggest push could arrive in 2027, marking the iPhone's 20th anniversary with special edition models and a second-generation foldable device. Apple is also said to be working on AirPods with built-in cameras, its first smart glasses, a robotic tabletop home device, and new versions of its Vision headset platform.
While some projects may change or never ship, the roadmap signals a shift from incremental updates to category-defining ambition. At the same time, Apple is preparing to raise iPhone prices due to climbing memory costs driven by AI demand. On the software side, iOS design changes like liquid glass have divided users, prompting Apple to add more customization options in iOS 27 Meanwhile, a rise in AI-powered scams targeting Apple users with fake security alerts is adding new challenges for customers navigating an increasingly complex tech landscape.

**Carly Wilson** (4:37)
A sweeping new Pew research poll finds that only 16 percent of Americans believe artificial intelligence will have a positive impact on society. At the same time, 40 percent say AI will negatively affect society, and 31 percent expect it to harm them personally. That skepticism comes even as adoption surges, with 49 percent of adults reporting they use AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, up from 33 percent last year. A quarter of respondents say they use the tools daily. Gen Z adults are the most wary, with 48 percent predicting negative societal effects, yet they are also the heaviest users at 66 percent. Among adults aged 30 to 49, 61 percent report using AI, while usage drops to 42 percent for those 50 to 64, and less than a quarter for those over 65