OpenAI: At the heart of every dominion lies an ideology, a system of conviction that propels progress and rationalizes expansion, even if the expense of that growth directly contradicts the ideology’s stated mission.
For European colonial regimes, it was Christianity and the promise of rescuing souls while extracting resources. For today’s artificial intelligence empire, it is general artificial intelligence to benefit all humanity.
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OpenAI as the Principal Preacher of AGI
OpenAI acts as the principal preacher, spreading devotion across the industry in a style that has reshaped how AI systems are developed. Karen Hao, journalist and bestselling author of Empire of AI, explained on a recent episode of Equity that she interviewed individuals whose voices trembled with the passion of their AGI convictions. In her book, Hao compares the AI sector overall, and OpenAI particularly, to an empire.
Power Beyond Nation-States
She argued that the only method to truly understand the scope and magnitude of OpenAI’s behavior is to realize they have already become more dominant than almost any nation-state globally, consolidating immense amounts of not just financial power but also political influence. According to Hao, they are reshaping Earth, rewiring geopolitics, and altering daily existence, making “empire” the only fitting description.
OpenAI’s Definition of AGI
OpenAI has described AGI as a highly autonomous framework that surpasses humans in most economically valuable labor, one that will uplift humanity by amplifying abundance, accelerating the economy, and assisting in scientific discoveries that redefine the limits of possibility. Hao said new approaches could reduce the amount of information and computation required—but that method would have meant forfeiting velocity.
The Race for Speed Over Safety
Hao explained that when you define the pursuit of building beneficial AGI as one where the winner secures everything, speed outweighs all else: speed over efficiency, speed over safety, and speed over exploration. For OpenAI, the optimal way to secure speed was to adopt existing methods and pour additional data and supercomputing power into them.
Corporate Control of AI Research
OpenAI established the pattern, and instead of falling behind, rival technology companies followed obediently. Hao emphasized that because the AI industry has successfully captured most of the top researchers worldwide, who no longer operate in academia, the entire discipline is now driven by corporate agendas rather than authentic scientific exploration.
Immense Spending Across Tech Giants
The spending has been, and will remain, immense. Last week, OpenAI stated it anticipates burning through $115 billion in funds by 2029. Meta announced it would invest as much as $72 billion into AI infrastructure this year. Google projected up to $85 billion in capital investments for 2025, most dedicated to expanding AI and cloud systems.
Accumulating Harms and Unmet Promises
Meanwhile, the goals continue shifting, and the grandest benefits for humanity have not materialized, even as damages accumulate. Harms such as unemployment, wealth concentration, and AI chatbots fueling delusion and psychosis persist. Hao’s book documents workers in nations such as Kenya and Venezuela who encountered disturbing material while being paid meager wages of $1 to $2 per hour in moderation and labeling roles.
AI That Truly Benefits Humanity
Hao stated it is a false bargain to position AI progress against existing harms, particularly when other branches of AI provide genuine benefits. She referenced Google DeepMind’s Nobel Prize-winning AlphaFold, which correctly predicts the 3D structures of proteins, a discovery profoundly useful for pharmaceuticals and disease comprehension.
The Myth of Silicon Valley’s Liberalizing Influence
Alongside the semi-religious commitment to AGI has been a story emphasizing the urgency of defeating China in the AI competition, so Silicon Valley could exert a liberalizing influence on the planet. Hao argued the opposite has unfolded: the gap between the U.S. and China has narrowed, while Silicon Valley has imposed an illiberal influence globally; the only beneficiary emerging intact is Silicon Valley itself.
Mission Confusion and Growing Concerns
This complexity deepened after news emerged that OpenAI reached an agreement with Microsoft, bringing it closer to potentially going public. Two former OpenAI safety researchers told TechCrunch they worry the lab confuses its nonprofit and profit missions, believing that because people enjoy using ChatGPT and other products, this satisfies the mission of serving humanity.
The Perils of Blind Conviction
Hao echoed these worries, warning of the danger in being so consumed by a mission that evidence is ignored. Even as proof accumulates that their creations harm large numbers of people, the mission continues to obscure reality. She concluded that there is something perilous and dark about being so entrenched in a belief system of your own making that you lose connection with reality.
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