Netflix to Produce Polish Movie About the Teacher Who Mentored The Minds Behind OpenAI

Netflix is diving into the true story behind some of the minds that are leading the AI/LLM boom right now. The streamer has just announced a brand-new Polish feature film inspired by the life of Ryszard Szubartowski, a legendary IT teacher who helped shape the brains behind the AI revolution, including key figures at OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT.

For over a quarter of a century, Ryszard Szubartowski has proven that Poland is an absolute powerhouse for IT talent. As the co-founder of the Talent Association (Stowarzyszenie Talent) and a distinguished educator, he developed a unique, hands-on teaching system for young students. The results? Staggering. During his tenure, 126 of his students became laureates of the National Olympiad in Informatics. Nearly 40 went on to represent Poland on the international stage, bringing home a massive 60 medals, including 33 golds.

But Szubartowski’s true legacy lies in the people who are currently building the future of global technology. His former students include Jakub Pachocki (Chief Scientist at OpenAI), Szymon Sidor (a key engineer behind GPT models, including GPT-4), and Filip Wolski (a world champion in team programming and AI systems expert).

The new, currently untitled feature film will be produced by dFlights, with Marek Kłosowicz serving as producer.

“Meeting Professor Szubartowski was one of those moments when I clearly saw how talented young Poles can impact the fate of the world,” said Łukasz Kłuskiewicz, Director of Content for Netflix Central and Eastern Europe. “The story of the professor and the teams working with him is proof that there is an incredibly strong, mature school of technological thinking in Poland.”

“The film won’t just be a fascinating story. It’s also a nod to the community of Polish scientists and engineers, and a reason to be proud of them,” concludes Kłuskiewicz. “We also want to show viewers that some of the innovations that make Netflix run so smoothly are born right here, on the Vistula River.”

We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear more about casting, production dates, and a release window for this new Polish feature.

Are you looking forward to learning the story behind the minds that built ChatGPT? Let us know in the comments down below, and for more on Netflix’s upcoming Polish slate, keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix.