Empire of AI

Few journalists have covered OpenAI as closely or as critically as Karen Hao, and Empire of AI draws on that sustained reporting to offer a genuinely inside look at one of the most influential and least transparent organizations in modern technology. The book traces OpenAI’s evolution from its founding mission through its rapid commercial growth, examining the internal tensions between its stated ideals and its actual business decisions, the leadership conflicts that have shaped its trajectory, and the broader consequences — economic, environmental, and geopolitical — of building AI at the scale OpenAI has pursued. Hao’s reporting brings real specificity to a story that’s often discussed only in abstract terms, grounding big questions about AI’s future in the concrete decisions, conflicts, and people that have actually shaped one of its most powerful players. At 496 pages, the book has room to develop this narrative with genuine depth, treating OpenAI not as a symbol but as a real organization full of real tensions and tradeoffs. For readers who want to understand the human and institutional story behind the AI boom, rather than just its technical or economic surface, this offers some of the most thorough reporting currently available.

Author:
Karen Hao