― Karen Hao on the Empire of AI, AGI Evangelists, and the Cost of Belief

As journalist Karen Hao explains in her unflinching book, Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI, the media has only pushed one side of that story: the rise to power of OpenAI and its quest for artificial general intelligence (AGI). Through ingenuity and tireless reporting, Hao reveals how the company’s evolution from a nonprofit research lab into a multibillion-dollar behemoth mirrors the dynamics of historic empires. She reviews the ideological fervour motivating AGI research and looks at its social toll.

The Ascent of OpenAI: From Luddites to Empire

Launched in 2015 by Elon Musk and Sam Altman, OpenAI started with a mission to ensure that artificial intelligence would work for all of humanity. But, according to Hao, the shift to a profit-oriented business in 2019 marked a departure from its original intentions. The move, exemplified in a massive partnership with Microsoft, represented a fusion of selfless rhetoric and aggressive business practices.

Hao compares OpenAI to the spread of colonial empires, which brought with it little more than empty promises and exploitation. She points out that the company’s data-hungry models devour information on an immense scale, much of it from Latin America, echoing historical extraction.

The Church of AGI: Ideology and Evangelism

The central focus of Hao’s criticism is the “cult of AGI” that has developed in the AI field. OpenAI’s leaders, notably CEO Sam Altman, advocate a future in which AGI is empowering and transformative—a way to elevate humanity by:

• Ushering in abundance
• Turbo-charging the economy
• Serving scientific discovery

This vision, however, has inspired an exponential inflation model of untenable proportions:

• Enormous Resource Demands: Training large AI models demands oceans of scraped data, straining existing infrastructure.
• Energy Use: AI data centers consume vast amounts of energy, raising environmental concerns.
• Untested System Releases: A readiness to release untested systems into the world.

These developments have resulted in a few players amassing the bulk of power and resources, prompting critical questions about the true cost of unwavering belief in AGI.

The Unseen Price: Environmental and Moral Concerns

Hao investigates the environmental and moral aspects of AGI creation. She highlights:

• Worker Exploitation: In countries like Kenya, people were paid pennies to annotate data for AI models.
• Resource Depletion: AI data centers in locations such as Chile are straining precious water supplies, illustrating global disparities in the impact of AI development.

The environmental footprint of AI infrastructure is also significant. Hao points to massive data centers that consume phenomenal amounts of energy—comparable to multiple major cities—and questions whether such growth is sustainable.

The Other Path: Reinventing Artificial Intelligence Development

Hao argues that the current trajectory of AI development—shaped heavily by OpenAI—was not predetermined. She notes that progress could have been achieved through:

• Developing new algorithms
• Enhancing existing systems to reduce data and computational requirements

However, these approaches would sacrifice speed, which OpenAI deemed essential. By opting for the “intellectually cheap” route—pumping more data and supercomputers into existing approaches—OpenAI set a new industry standard, compelling other tech giants to follow suit to avoid falling behind.

This strategy has succeeded in capturing most of the top AI researchers in the world, effectively steering computer science away from pure scientific inquiry toward corporate objectives. Hao cautions that this merging of research and commercial interests comes at a cost: the erosion of integrity and ethical standards in AI development.

The Implications of Our AI Future: A Call for Transparency and Accountability

As the AI industry expands exponentially, fueled by enormous investments and a quasi-religious belief in AGI, Hao’s work serves as a warning. She advocates for a responsible, human-centred approach to AI development, emphasizing:

• Transparency
• Ethical practices
• Fair distribution of benefits

Hao’s critique goes beyond OpenAI, calling for broader scrutiny of power dynamics in the AI sector. She argues that the ethics of AI must be “decolonised”, incorporating diverse voices to balance the dominance of Silicon Valley.

Conclusion

Karen Hao’s Empire of AI casts a skeptical eye on the aggressive rise of artificial intelligence and the rush toward AGI by companies like OpenAI. Her work uncovers the **hidden costs—environmental, social, and ethical—**of an ideology rooted in speed and relentless expansion.

As the AI industry continues to evolve, it is imperative to:

• Cut through the hype
• Question motives and impacts
• Demand responsible development practices

The future of technology—and ultimately, the future of humanity—depends on the wisdom with which we discern genuine advancement from runaway ambition.