Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. Some of the world's greatest storytellers

aren't authors, poets, filmmakers, or musicians. They're salesmen. This is a point that comes up in

today's book, Empire of AI. It's written by journalist Karen Howe, and it's a deep look at

Open AI. That's the artificial intelligence company

that started as a nonprofit with the idea that you could develop AI for good. The company's

CEO is Sam Altman, and he got there not by being an inventor or an engineer. As Howell tells

NPR Steve Inskeep, Altman holds status in the world of AI because he's a, quote,

once-in-a-generation storytelling talent.

That's coming up.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get

your podcasts. We have a skeptical look at one of the most famous companies of our time.

Karen Howe wrote it.

She's a journalist who first covered Open AI six years ago when it was promising to develop

artificial intelligence ethically.

It was founded as a research nonprofit meant to do this kind of fundamental research

for, as it said, the benefit of all of humanity. And it was meant to do this kind of fundamental research for, as it said,

the benefit of all of humanity. And it was meant to open source that research to be for the

public benefit. The word open was right there in the name. Open AI had the backing of tech giants,

including Elon Musk, who worried about AI's future effects on the world.

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