Tech Won't Save Us - We All Suffer from OpenAI’s Pursuit of Scale w/ Karen Hao [Replay]

Paris Marx is joined by Karen Hao to discuss how Sam Altman’s goal of scale at all costs has spawned a new empire founded on exploitation of people and the environment, resulting in not only the loss of valuable research into more inventive AI systems, but also exacerbated data privacy issues, intellectual property erosion, and the perpetuation of surveillance capitalism.

Karen Hao is an award-winning journalist and the author of Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.

The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. This episode originally aired in June 2025.

Also mentioned in this episode:

NPR's Book of the Day - Amitav Ghosh’s ‘Wild Fictions’ gathers essays on empire and the environment

Indian Bengali writer Amitav Ghosh has been writing about empire, the environment, and other subjects for the past 25 years. Now, he has gathered some of his essays into a new collection called Wild Fictions, which asks big questions about the way humans are connected to other forms of life. In today’s episode, Ghosh joins NPR’s Scott Simon for a conversation that touches on climate change as a problem of politics, culture, and imagination. They also discuss an idea central to Ghosh’s thought: that anthropocentrism is responsible for our current planetary crisis.


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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Everyone Saw ICE Kill Renee Good

After the Trump administration launched a massive Immigrations and Customs Enforcement operation in Minnesota, protesters gathered to defend immigrant neighbors. Renee Nicole Good, a mother of a six year old, showed up with her wife and dog to film altercations between officers and community members. What happened next changed everything. 

Guest: Jon Collins, senior reporter on the Minnesota Public Radio News race, class and communities team.

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Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther. 



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Global News Podcast - Woman shot dead by US immigration agent

The mayor of Minneapolis in the United States has strongly rejected the Trump administration's account of the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the city. Jacob Frey said video of the incident directly contradicted assertions by the White House that the agent had shot Renee Good in self defence. Hundreds of people gathered in protest at the site of her shooting, lighting candles overnight. Video shows she was shot as she drove off when ICE agents were trying to stop her. Also: President Trump has said that Venezuela has agreed to use the proceeds from the sale of its oil to buy only American-made goods. A study in Britain indicates that people who stop weight-loss jabs put the weight back on much quicker than if they'd lost it by dieting. And Aldrich Ames, the most damaging CIA traitor in agency history, dies aged 84.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.

Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.

Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

It Could Happen Here - Inside Our AI Future: Report from CES

Robert and Gare return to the windy city, Las Vegas, for the annual Consumer Electronic Show, which had become drunk on AI optimism and puked all over the floor.

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Consider This from NPR - An immigration crackdown gone wrong. What do we know?

Today in Minneapolis, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer allegedly shot and killed a woman. 


ICE says she was shot in her car after attempting to run over immigration agents. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called it a domestic act of terrorism. Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey says it was an act of self defense.

An immigration crackdown gone wrong. What do we know? 


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This episode was produced by Michael Levitt, Alejandra Marquez Janse and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane.

It was edited by Cheryl Corley, Ahmad Damen, Patrick Jarenwattananon and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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PBS News Hour - World - White House says U.S. will control Venezuelan oil industry ‘indefinitely’

The Trump administration escalated its pressure on Venezuelan oil, seizing two tankers and declaring it intends to "indefinitely" sell the country's oil. The administration's rhetoric has also included threats to seize Greenland, part of NATO-member Denmark. Nick Schifrin reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy