The hidden costs of AI: Labour, data, and the race to dominate

Artificial intelligence is being sold to us as the future. Faster, smarter, more efficient, maybe even world changing. But as a handful of tech companies race to build ever more powerful AI, there are growing questions about secrecy, exploitation, and the extraordinary concentration of power behind the scenes. Journalist Karen Hao has spent years reporting on OpenAI and the global AI industry, and in her book Empire of AI , she argues this isn't just a story about technology, it's a story about ideology, labour, resources, and control. Today on The Front Page, Karen Hao joins us to unpack the rise of OpenAI, Sam Altman, and the real cost of the AI arms race. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Chelsea Daniels Editor/Producer: Richard Martin Producer: Jane Yee

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The hidden costs of AI: Labour, data, and the race to dominate is an episode from The Front Page by NZME.

This episode is 23:13 long.

This episode was published on May 15, 2026.

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