An Instant New York Times Bestseller“Excellent and deeply reported.” —Tim Wu, The New York Times“Startling and intensely researched . . . an essential account of how OpenAI and ChatGPT came to be and the catastrophic places they will likely take us.” —Vulture“Hao’s reporting inside OpenAI is exceptional, and she’s persuasive in her argument that the public should focus less on A.I.’s putative ‘sentience’ and more on its implications for labor and the environment.” —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New YorkerFrom a brilliant longtime AI insider with intimate access to the world of Sam Altman's OpenAI from the beginning, an eye-opening account of arguably the most fateful tech arms race in history, reshaping the planet in real time, from the cockpit of the company that is driving the frenzyWhen AI expert and investigative journalist Karen Hao first began covering OpenAI in 2019, she thought they were the good guys. Founded as a nonprofit with safety enshrined as its core mission, the organization was meant, its leader Sam Altman told us, to act as a check against more purely mercantile, and potentially dangerous, forces. What could go wrong?Over time, Hao began to wrestle ever more deeply with that question. Increasingly, she realized that the core truth of this massively disruptive sector is that its vision of success requires an almost unprecedented amount of the “compute” power of high-end chips and the processing capacity to create massive large language models, the sheer volume of data that needs to be amassed at scale, the humans “cleaning up” that data for sweatshop wages throughout the Global South, and a truly alarming spike in the usage of energy and water underlying it all. The truth is that we have entered a new and ominous age of only a small handful of globally scaled companies can even enter the field of play. At the head of the pack with its ChatGPT breakthrough, how would OpenAI resist such temptations?Spoiler it didn’t. Armed with Microsoft’s billions, OpenAI is setting a breakneck pace, chased by a small group of the most valuable companies in human history—toward what end, not even they can define. All this time, Hao has maintained her deep sourcing within the company and the industry, and so she was in intimate contact with the story that shocked the entire tech industry—Altman’s sudden firing and triumphant return. The behind-the-scenes story of what happened, told here in full for the first time, is revelatory of who the people controlling this technology really are. But this isn’t just the story of a single company, however fascinating it is. The g forces pressing down on the people of OpenAI are deforming the judgment of everyone else too—as such forces do. Naked power finds the ideology to cloak itself; no one thinks they’re the bad guy. But in the meantime, as Hao shows through intrepid reporting on the ground around the world, the enormous wheels of extraction grind on. By drawing on the viewpoints of Silicon Valley engineers, Kenyan data laborers, and Chilean water activists, Hao presents the fullest picture of AI and its impact we’ve seen to date, alongside a trenchant analysis of where things are headed. An astonishing eyewitness view from both up in the command capsule of the new economy and down where the real suffering happens, Empire of AI pierces the veil of the industry defining our era.

"The depth of research, generosity of spirit, and brilliance of biblical imagination make this remarkable book one of my favorite reads of a lifetime. I confess I need to see Jesus more alive and present. Blaine brings the presence of Jesus through the stories of the Hebrew Bible with such a vivid, lush, and compelling craft that as each chapter ended, I couldn’t stop."—Dan B. Allender, Ph.D. Professor of Counseling Psychology and Founding President, The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology The Bible is a piercing drama, a tale of prophets and wandering spirits, heroic mothers and flashing swords, cosmic mountains and dry, shadowy Sheol. It is a true story that defines the nature and purpose of reality, and its claims are astonishing. But few modern readers experience the Bible that way. In this groundbreaking book, celebrated storyteller Blaine Eldredge draws upon years of research to illuminate the story of the Bible through the lives of six kingly characters. From Adam to Jesus, Eldredge combines thrilling retellings of famous stories with cutting-edge scholarship and robust theology to explore topics such as the Bible’s picture of evil, its sophisticated supernatural worldview, and its complex picture of the human condition.The result is a stunning portrait of Jesus of Nazareth, the king and God and sacrifice who conquered death and overthrew the spiritual powers of this world and whose offer remains open to Follow me, come home to reality, and heal your humanity.

Starting from a place of genuine searching, bestselling author Preston Sprinkle challenges assumptions and models gracious theological inquiry in this thoughtful exploration of what the Bible says about women in church leadership. What does the Bible really say about women serving in positions of leadership in the church? It’s one of the church’s most debated and divisive topics. Many Christians read Scripture in light of preconceived conclusions, rather than engaging in a patient and thorough study of what the Bible actually says. From Genesis to Junia offers something an honest journey through Scripture that begins with questions rather than answers. With theological rigor and a pastor’s heart, Preston Sprinkle opens the Bible with fresh eyes and invites us along as he examines key passages from Genesis to Revelation—weighing historical context, interacting with a variety of scholarly perspectives, and holding familiar views up to Scripture. This informative and spiritually profound book A respectful challenge to both complementarian and egalitarian assumptions Insightful analysis of texts such as 1 Corinthians 11, Romans 16, and 1 Timothy 2 A model for navigating controversial topics in the church This open-hearted approach to a complex issue offers a healthy example for dialoguing about tough theological questions. Listeners will walk away not with superficial answers but with biblical confidence, deeper understanding, and a gracious posture for engaging with others. Contains extensive audiobook-exclusive bonus commentary by the author.