OpenAI is one of the most influential – and talked about – companies on the planet. And a new book (and New York Times bestseller) Empire of AI, by Karen Hao is a timely analysis of what exactly this company and its boy wonder, Sam Altman, is and, crucially, what its ambitions are.
Karen was the first journalist to profile OpenAI and spent time inside the company while researching it for MIT Technology Review.
There’s a gift link here to a New York Times review of the book and we’ll be going live in half an hour to discuss what she learned, why she believes it’s a new form of empire.
(Reminder of my own weird encounter with Altman recently.) I’m also really keen to talk to her about the deals news organisations are making with the company and the news that the UK government has just signed a major “wide-ranging” deal with the company to embed AI models in public services.
Do join us, or send questions our Substack chat. The Citizens is hosting this on their Substack and I’ll be joining from mine.
When? Wednesday, 30 July, 12pm BST, 7am ET (sorry!
Karen Hao is a bestselling author and award-winning reporter covering the impacts of artificial intelligence on society. She was the first journalist to profile OpenAI and wrote a book, Empire of AI, about the company and its global implications, which became an instant New York Times bestseller.
She writes for publications including The Atlantic and leads the Pulitzer Center’s AI Spotlight Series, a program training thousands of journalists around the world on how to cover AI. She was formerly a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, covering American and Chinese tech companies, and a senior editor for AI at MIT Technology Review. Her work is regularly taught in universities and cited by governments.
This post has been syndicated from How to Survive the Broligarchy, where it was published under this address.