In The News
In The News

How the race for total AI domination is revisiting the worst of human history

03 January 2026 23:50 The Irish Times

Listen to episode

About this episode

This episode was first published in August.


In the space of a few short years, generative AI has exploded into our daily lives, impacting the way we learn, work and understand the world around us.


Open AI, the American artificial intelligence company cofounded by Sam Altman and Elon Musk in 2015 which runs ChatGPT, claims its non-profit “mission” is to ensure these systems “benefit all of humanity”.


And while the launch of ChatGPT has undoubtedly lightened the workload of many, engineer, journalist and AI expert Karen Hao says the AI race for world domination carries a huge human and environmental cost.


In 2019, Hao spent three days embedded in the offices of OpenAI and discovered this company, which claims to be transparent and operating “for the good of humanity”, was in fact highly secretive.


In her bestselling book ‘Empire of AI: Inside the reckless race for total domination’, Hao warns that the world has entered a new and ominous age of empire, where a small handful of companies are writing the future of humanity.


Today, on the In The News podcast, how the race for total AI domination is repeating the worst of human history.


Karen Hao discusses the severe cost of the seemingly unstoppable growth of OpenAI.


Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to find AI jobs?

Join thousands of AI professionals finding their next opportunity

We respect your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.

© 2026 In The News . All rights reserved.

Common Questions

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about how DevFound's AI matching, resumes, and referrals work.

DevFound's AI Copilot ingests your profile, goals, and live job data to deliver curated matches in seconds. Every match includes a resume variant, suggested referrals, and interview prep so you can act immediately. The more feedback you provide, the sharper the Copilot becomes.

AI-led job searches shrink the hours spent sifting through boards and formatting resumes. DevFound pairs automation with your personal outreach, so you reserve energy for interviews and negotiation. Traditional networking still matters, but AI gives you a lift before you even send a message.

Modern AI roles expect comfort with production-grade code, data fluency, and practical ML tooling. The strongest candidates pair deep technical chops with storytelling—translating model impact to product, GTM, and exec partners. Continuous learning keeps you ahead as stacks evolve.

DevFound rewards active seekers. Keep your profile fresh, respond to match quality prompts, and enable alerts so you never miss a role. The AI prioritizes companies and teams that align with your feedback, accelerating both introductions and interview invites.

High-density tech hubs continue to host the deepest AI talent pools, yet distributed teams are catching up fast. Use DevFound filters to hone in on onsite, hybrid, or fully remote roles and watch openings expand across time zones.

DevFound aggregates thousands of remote AI openings and flags the nuances—core hours, async culture, and visa needs—up front. The Copilot also recommends how to position your distributed work experience so hiring managers know you can thrive on a remote team.