Karen Hao
Also known as Empire of AI
Karen Hao is a journalist and the author of Empire of AI. Her reporting follows AI companies, their workers, and the resources that support model development. She trained in mechanical engineering at MIT and worked as an application engineer before entering journalism. At MIT Technology Review, she became senior editor for AI. She later reported for The Wall Street Journal on technology in the United States and China. Her AI Colonialism series began a partnership with the Pulitzer Center in 2021. That work also led into teaching: she helped design the center’s AI Spotlight training for journalists. Empire of AI appeared in 2025. Hao now reports, speaks, and serves on the AI Now Institute board.
- Now at
- AI Now Institute
Timeline
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Before journalism
Starting in engineering
Hao studied mechanical engineering at MIT, with a minor in energy studies. She then worked as an application engineer at a startup that had emerged from Google X. This gave her direct experience of technical work before she began writing about technology and its effects.
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MIT Technology Review years
Making AI a reporting subject
At MIT Technology Review, Hao became senior editor for AI. She covered the expanding industry through reporting on institutions and the people affected by their decisions. This work built a public record that reached beyond announcements of new models and laboratory results.
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The Wall Street Journal years
Reporting on two technology markets
Hao later reported for The Wall Street Journal on technology in the United States and China. Her career moved between a specialist technology publication and a broader news organization, while she continued to follow the business and social consequences of technical systems.
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May 2025
Publishing Empire of AI
Empire of AI appeared in May 2025. The book follows OpenAI and places the company within a wider story of AI development, labor and power. Hao brought years of reporting into a longer narrative, connecting company decisions with the people and resources behind them.
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2026
Continuing reporting and public work
Hao continues to report and speak about AI. Her public biography also lists a board role at the AI Now Institute. Her current work connects independent journalism, a book-length industry history and training for people who need to question claims about AI.
Sources and credits
Photo: Leonhard Lenz, via Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 4.0. Source: commons.wikimedia.org. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.
