Empire of AI: Power & Platforms

With Karen Hao, Author of Empire of AI

Sunday, June 15, 2025
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM PST
CCA San Francisco Campus

Karen Hao’s Empire of AI offers an unprecedented look inside OpenAI and the broader AI industry. As the first journalist to profile the company, Hao brings deep reporting and sharp analysis to questions that affect us all.

What to Expect

This event pairs Hao’s investigative journalism with critical perspectives on AI’s political economy. We’ll explore questions like: Who controls AI development? Whose interests are served? And what alternatives might we imagine?

About the Book

Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI (Penguin Press, 2025) traces the rise of OpenAI from nonprofit research lab to one of the most valuable companies in the world. Through extensive interviews and original reporting, Hao reveals the tensions, compromises, and power dynamics that shape the technology increasingly central to our lives.

Schedule

  • 6:00 PM — Doors open
  • 6:30 PM — Author presentation
  • 7:30 PM — Respondent panel
  • 8:00 PM — Q&A
  • 8:30 PM — Book signing

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