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A review by kleonora
Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI by Karen Hao
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Excellent profile of the troubled trajectory of Sam Altman. All the more useful as a counterweight to his determined efforts to deflect focus from himself. Anyway he’s evil. Remember when Google’s motto was ‘don’t be evil’ and then after about 5 years they quietly disappeared it? Sam gets through that cycle in about 5 months.
Kuddos for the last chapter: a real world example of this tech being used to build and strengthen community. Don’t let the people making billions insist their unquestionable vision is the only thing keeping the human race from catastrophe. Other options are available when you prioritise people over technocapitalism.
That said, this is definitely a book written by a reporter. The events are investigated and documented but the structure could be tighter. Time jumps around and key moments are repeated. There are gripping moments but the book functions as a source of information rather than a gripping narrative.
Kuddos for the last chapter: a real world example of this tech being used to build and strengthen community. Don’t let the people making billions insist their unquestionable vision is the only thing keeping the human race from catastrophe. Other options are available when you prioritise people over technocapitalism.
That said, this is definitely a book written by a reporter. The events are investigated and documented but the structure could be tighter. Time jumps around and key moments are repeated. There are gripping moments but the book functions as a source of information rather than a gripping narrative.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse
Allegations of abuse from Sam’s sister - serious in nature but specifics aren’t given in detail