This course examines two influential 2025 books on artificial intelligence. In Empire of AI, journalist Karen Hao reveals the hidden costs of AI’s rise—from exploited workers in Kenya to the environmental toll in Chile—while exposing the inner culture and ambitions of OpenAI. In AI Valley, Gary Rivlin takes us inside the trillion-dollar race as Microsoft, Google, and other tech giants battle for dominance. Together, these books highlight how profit motives, power dynamics, and geopolitics are shaping AI today. Through summaries, discussion, and group activities, participants will reflect on the winners, losers, and global consequences of this revolution.
- Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI (Penguin, 2025)
- AI Valley: Microsoft, Google, and the Trillion-Dollar Race to Cash In on Artificial Intelligence (Harper, 2025)
- Introduction to the two books and authors.
- Empire of AI: OpenAI’s culture, global consequences, and ethical dilemmas.
- AI Valley: The Big Tech race to monetise AI.
- Compare and contrast: ethics vs. profit motives; Silicon Valley vs. global impacts.
- Group activity: Who should control AI’s future—governments, tech companies, or global bodies?
- Wrap-up reflection and take-home handout
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Summarise the key arguments in Empire of AI and AI Valley.
- Identify the social, environmental, and political costs of AI adoption.
- Discuss how Big Tech’s commercial race drives innovation and risk.
- Reflect on global power dynamics shaping AI’s future.
- Compare ethical critiques and corporate strategies in contemporary AI debates.
