Explore the high-stakes, breakneck competition shaping the future of artificial intelligence in Empire of AI: Inside the reckless race for total domination. Written by award-winning journalist and AI insider Karen Hao, this book offers an unparalleled, eye-opening account of the tech arms race, focusing on the trajectory and impact of OpenAI and its leader, Sam Altman.

Hao, who began covering OpenAI in 2019 when it was founded as a nonprofit focused on safety, details the shift as the industry demanded unprecedented proprietary resources—scarce high-end chips, massive data accumulation, and significant energy consumption. This work chronicles the meteoric rise of OpenAI and reveals the sinister societal impact of this new age of empire driven by the most valuable companies in human history.

Key Features & Insights

• Award-Winning Journalism: An account from an AI insider with unparalleled access to figures closest to Sam Altman.
• Critical Analysis: Examines the resource demands (compute, data, energy) driving the AI sector.
• Societal Impact: Details the consequences of the tech arms race shaping the planet.
• Acclaimed Recognition: A New York Times and Sunday Times Bestseller, Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award 2025.

Specifications

• Author: Karen Hao
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Print Length: 496 pages
• Publication Date: 30 April 2026
• ISBN-13: 978-1802064656
• Dimensions: 12.8 x 2.2 x 19.6 cm
• Weight: 354g

For engineers, technologists, and analysts interested in the foundational economics and power structures behind modern AI development, this book provides essential context on the forces driving the industry forward.