"Empire of AI": Karen Hao on How AI Is Threatening Democracy & Creating a New Colonial World

Democracy Now! June 4, 2025
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Democracy Now! is a viewer-supported independent, global weekday news hour anchored by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. The show is broadcast on more than 1,500 TV, radio and internet stations. Stream the show live Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. ET at http://www.democracynow.org.

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Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-desc-yt The new book "Empire of AI" by longtime technology reporter Karen Hao unveils the accruing political and economic power of AI companies — especially Sam Altman's OpenAI. Her reporting uncovered the exploitation of workers in Kenya, attempts to take massive amounts of freshwater from communities in Chile, along with numerous accounts of the technology's detrimental impact on the environment. "This is an extraordinary type of AI development that is causing a lot of social, labor and environmental harms," says Hao. Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET. Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe

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