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Inside the Empire of AI with Karen Hao

Illinois Libraries Present Virtual Program

Register for this virtual program via ZOOM to receive a link. Watch at home or by using a library computer.

Join a timely conversation with Karen Hao, the award-winning journalist and author of Empire of AI. In this virtual event, Hao will explore the rapid rise of artificial intelligence; the social, political, and ethical questions surrounding AI development today; and the questions posed in her work: Will AI produce broad-based societal benefits for all? Or will it return us to an age of empire? The path forward is in our hands.

Whether you’re excited about AI, cautious about it, or just trying to understand the hype, this event offers an accessible look at one of today’s biggest technological shifts.

Karen Hao is the instant New York Times bestselling author of Empire of AI and was named one of the most influential people in AI by Time. She is the lead designer of the Pulitzer Center’s AI Spotlight series as well as a co-host of the BBC’s podcast, The Interface. The first journalist to ever profile OpenAI, Hao was formerly a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, covering American and Chinese tech companies, and a senior editor for AI at MIT Technology Review. Her work has been cited by Congress, featured in university curriculums, and remade into museum exhibits.   

Moderator:

Reanna Esmail, Lead Librarian for Instruction at Cornell University and a prominent voice in critical digital pedagogy and intellectual freedom, will join Karen Hao in conversation.

Illinois Libraries Present virtual programs are generously brought to you by The Friends of the Rolling Meadows Library.

This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a Department of the Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

ILP is committed to inclusion and accessibility. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and Closed Captioning are provided for all events by default—no special request needed. To request accommodations not listed, please email illinoislibrariespresent@ila.org.

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