Tips for after work: From AI empires to space expeditions

What might soon be possible in science and which book Sam Altman would most like to forget: This is what the manager magazine editorial team reads, listens to and watches.

Personally, I've been waiting a long time for the book "Empire of AI." I admit, partly because I wanted to know exactly what happened during the failed coup attempt against Sam Altman (39) at OpenAI in late 2023.

Altman himself, however, didn't seem so happy about Karen Hao 's new book, which primarily revolves around him. He hinted at this, at least indirectly, on social media before the launch. No wonder, since the renowned author and tech journalist describes Altman as an insecure and calculating CEO of his tech empire.

Hao has been following the topic of AI for years – she was the very first journalist to profile OpenAI in 2019. In "Empire of AI," she compares Altman to a colonial ruler who wants to impose his idea of "Artificial General Intelligence," or a general artificial superintelligence, on us.

And of course, my curiosity about the boardroom drama is also satisfied.

Karen Hao: Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI. Penguin Press, 496 pages, €25.34 (previously published only in English).

Hao, Karen

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Space travel is currently experiencing a real comeback, especially in Germany and Europe. Thanks to new space companies like the startup Isar Aerospace and, of course, thanks to Elon Musk's SpaceX.

The new ARD podcast "Ready for Liftoff!" is dedicated to precisely this fascination with space. In the first episode, listeners meet PhD student Rabea Rogge (29). Meet the very first German female astronaut who made it into space just a few weeks ago – thanks, by the way, to a Chinese-born crypto billionaire who financed the private mission!

The “Ready for Liftoff!” podcast is available here .

What to watch:

Regardless of whether you want to have children yourself or not, I find it quite exciting to think about what is – or could be – possible in reproductive medicine in the future. For example, it might be possible to grow sperm or eggs from skin cells in just a few years.

Some of the developments sound more like dystopia—keyword: designer babies—than scientific progress. I think it's all the more fitting that this series also gives those affected a voice. Reshaping skin cells could, for example, fulfill the desire of infertile or same-sex couples to have their own genetically matched children.

The BR documentary “How we will have children in the future – Sex and the Scientists” is available in the ARD media library.

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