# Karen Hao Karen Hao (born c. 1993) is an American journalist and author known for covering artificial intelligence research, ethics, and social impact. She is the author of the 2025 bestselling book Empire of AI and formerly served as senior AI editor at MIT Technology Review. Karen Hao (born c. 1993) is an American journalist and author. She is best known for her coverage of [AI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence) research, technology ethics, and the social impact of AI, and for the 2025 book Empire of AI, which became a New York Times Bestseller. As of 2026, Hao works as a freelancer for publications including The Atlantic, and has previously held positions at The Wall Street Journal, MIT Technology Review, and Quartz. Hao was born in the United States to Chinese immigrant parents and grew up in New Jersey. Fluent in English and Mandarin, she graduated from The Lawrenceville School in 2011 and earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering with a minor in energy studies from the [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/mit-csail) in 2015. ## Early career After college, Hao worked as an application engineer at the first startup to spin out of [X Development](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/xerox-parc), the moonshot lab of Google's parent company. She then moved into journalism, joining Quartz as a tech reporter and data scientist)Skip. Her writing has also appeared in Mother Jones, Sierra Magazine, The New Republic, and other outlets. In 2018, Hao created the "What is AI?" flowchart, a data visualization that was exhibited as an installation at the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. This work reflected her ongoing interest in making AI concepts accessible to broader audiences. ## MIT Technology Review Hao joined [MIT Technology Review](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/mit-csail) as a senior editor for [artificial intelligence](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence), where she covered new [machine learning](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/machine-learning) research findings and their societal implications. Her reporting spanned big tech data privacy, misinformation, [deepfakes](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/deep-learning), and facial recognition. In March 2021, Hao published an investigative piece that uncovered previously unknown details about how Facebook's misinformation-combat teams were impeded by the company's drive to grow user engagement. The article drew immediate criticism from Facebook executives including Mike Schroepfer and Yann LeCun on Twitter. In response, AI researchers Timnit Gebru and Margaret Mitchell publicly supported Hao's reporting, amplifying calls for reform. Hao also co-produced the podcast In Machines We Trust, a series discussing the rise of AI with developers and researchers. The podcast won the 2020 Front Page Award in investigative reporting. She also wrote The Algorithm, a newsletter that became a 2019 Webby Award nominee for best newsletter. ## Wall Street Journal and later work In March 2022, Hao moved to Hong Kong to cover China technology and society for The Wall Street Journal. She left the WSJ in 2023 and returned to freelance work. Her writing has continued to focus on AI's global implications, with bylines in The Atlantic and other major publications. Hao has occasionally produced data visualizations as part of her journalism, and she has been an invited speaker at TEDxGateway, the United Nations Foundation, EmTech, and WNPR. Her TEDx talk emphasized the importance of democratizing how AI is built. ## In Machines We Trust podcast Hao co-produced the podcast In Machines We Trust, which explored the rise of AI through interviews with people developing, researching, and using the technology. The podcast won the 2020 Front Page Award in investigative reporting and was nominated for the 2021 Ambies Award for best knowledge and science podcast. It was also a 2021 Webby Award nominee for best technology podcast. ## Empire of AI and later work In May 2025, Hao released Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI, a book examining the ambitions and controversies surrounding [OpenAI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/openai) and its CEO. The book became a New York Times Bestseller and was named a Book of the Year by the Financial Times. In December 2025, after criticism from readers, Hao issued a correction to the book. She had overestimated the water consumption of a data center in Chile compared to the community's water use by a factor of 1,000, based on an error in a government document. The book later won the New York Public Library's Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism in April 2026. ## Podcast and recognition Hao co-produced the podcast In Machines We Trust, which discusses the rise of AI with developers, researchers, and users. The podcast won the 2020 Front Page Award in investigative reporting, and was nominated for the 2021 Ambies Award for best knowledge and science podcast. Hao also wrote The Algorithm newsletter, which received a 2019 Webby Award nomination. In March 2021, her article on Facebook's misinformation efforts prompted immediate criticism from Facebook leaders including Mike Schroepfer and Yann LeCun. AI researchers [Timnit Gebru](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/timnit-gebru) and [Margaret Mitchell](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/margaret-mitchell) publicly supported Hao's reporting. In March 2022, Hao was hired by The Wall Street Journal as a foreign correspondent covering technology and society in China, based in Hong Kong. She left the publication in 2023. ## Empire of AI In May 2025, Hao published Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI, a book examining the rise of [OpenAI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/openai) and its chief executive Sam Altman. The book became a New York Times Bestseller and was named a Financial Times Book of the Year. In December 2025, Hao issued a correction after readers noted she had overestimated the water consumption of a data center in Chile by a factor of 1,000, due to an error in a government document. The book won the New York Public Library's Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism in April 2026. ## Recognition Hao has been a TEDx speaker, addressing the importance of democratizing how AI is built. She has also spoken at TEDxGateway, the United Nations Foundation, and EmTech. In 2024 she received the American Humanist Association's Humanist Award, and in 2025 she was named to the TIME100 AI list of influential people in artificial intelligence. In 2026, she received both the New York Public Library's Helen Bernstein Book Award and the Whiting Award in Non-fiction. ## Selected awards - 2019 Webby Award nominee for best newsletter for The Algorithm - 2021 Front Page Award in investigative reporting for In Machines We Trust - 2021 Ambies Award nominee for best knowledge and science podcast - 2021 Webby Award nominee for best technology podcast - 2024 American Humanist Media Award - 2025 TIME100 AI list - 2026 Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism - 2026 Whiting Award in Non-fiction --- Source: https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/karen-hao License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Last updated: 2026-09-07T21:28:57.085888+00:00