Voices Demystifying AI: Karen Hao — Award-Winning Reporter & Author of Empire of AI

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Welcome to our first edition of the AI Spotlight Series, where we shine a light on individuals making AI more understandable, more accessible, and most importantly—more factual. As artificial intelligence increasingly impacts our healthcare, workplaces, and daily lives, separating science fiction from science fact has never been more important.

This week, we begin with a journalist who has become a global compass in navigating AI’s complexities: Karen Hao.

Cutting Through the AI Noise

In a field often clouded by jargon, hype, and corporate spin, Karen Hao is a rare voice of clarity. An MIT-trained engineer turned investigative journalist, she has spent the last decade documenting the rise—and real-world consequences—of AI systems, especially those developed in Silicon Valley and beyond.

Her reporting doesn’t just explain algorithms; it dissects the motivations behind them, the people building them, and the global labor often powering them behind the scenes.

Hao’s tenure at MIT Technology Review turned her into a trusted name in AI journalism. Later, as a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal in China, she covered the geopolitical ripple effects of emerging technologies. Her work has been featured in The Atlantic, The New York Times, and cited by policymakers and academics alike.

“OpenAI is at the forefront of this new empire era. Understanding its story is crucial for tackling the next big question: What should we do next?”

Empire of AI — Her Most Ambitious Work Yet

Coming May 20, Hao’s upcoming book, Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI, promises to be one of the most pivotal AI books of the decade.

Drawing on more than 300 interviews across continents, the book explores OpenAI’s transformation from a nonprofit lab into a corporate powerhouse, laying bare the power struggles, ethical dilemmas, and economic forces shaping modern AI.

She weaves in unheard voices—from Silicon Valley developers to Kenyan data workers and Chilean climate scientists—to reveal how AI’s global impact is both sweeping and deeply personal.

If you’ve ever wanted to understand not just what OpenAI is building, but what it’s becoming, this book should be on your radar.

Beyond the Byline: Teaching the Next Generation

Karen Hao isn’t just reporting on AI—she’s shaping how it’s discussed around the world. As the lead of the Pulitzer Center’s AI Spotlight series, she’s training journalists worldwide on how to cover AI with depth, balance, and critical nuance.

She’s also a recipient of the American Humanist Media Award, and her influence has been recognized with the National Magazine Award for Journalists Under 30.

Why She Matters Now

At a time when ChatGPT headlines blur with speculation, and AI is either hailed as salvation or demonized as dystopia, Hao offers a grounded, deeply human approach. She doesn’t sensationalize. She investigates. She asks hard questions—and expects honest answers.

This is the kind of journalism the AI age needs: nonpartisan, global in perspective, and unafraid to challenge power.

As we kick off this weekly series, Karen Hao sets a high bar. Her work is a reminder that the most important stories about AI aren’t just about machines—they’re about people.

And if we want to build a future with AI that benefits all of us, we need more truth-tellers like her.