Today in Focus The OpenAI empire
10 snips
May 29, 2025 
Karen Hao, a seasoned technology journalist with extensive insights into OpenAI, discusses its transformation from an idealistic non-profit to a corporate titan within the AI landscape. She delves into the implications of this shift on data privacy and intellectual property, highlighting tensions between commercialization and original missions. Hao also explores the ethical dilemmas of artificial general intelligence and the hidden labor supporting AI moderation, emphasizing the environmental costs tied to AI expansion. Her reflections reveal the complex dynamics shaping the future of technology.
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OpenAI as a New Empire
- OpenAI's growth and capital accumulation is unprecedented in tech history.
- It is no longer a multinational corporation but a new form of empire.
The AGI Religion and Its Risks
- Belief in artificial general intelligence (AGI) resembles a quasi-religious movement.
- AI developers speak anxiously about creating entities that could destroy humanity if mishandled.
AI Companies as Modern Empires
- AI companies operate like empires, exploiting resources and labor under a 'civilizing mission.'
- They justify extraction through the belief they bring progress and modernity to humanity.