Books Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI by Karen Hao (Author)

"Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI" is a book by Karen Hao, released in 2025. It provides a detailed and critical account of OpenAI's history, culture, and its race to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI). The book draws on interviews with about 260 people, correspondence, and documents to explore OpenAI's rise and its complex impact on society. Hao portrays the company’s ambitions, the ecosystem of powerful tech firms competing for dominance, and the ethical, environmental, and social costs associated with AI development. The narrative includes behind-the-scenes insights into leadership and significant events like Sam Altman's firing and return. Hao critically examines the parallels between AI industry dynamics and historical colonial empires, highlighting issues of labor exploitation, resource extraction, and the concentration of power in a few companies, warning about the potential consequences for global equity and democracy. OpenAI declined to cooperate with the author, and Sam Altman publicly criticized the book.