Pulitzer Center Update January 14, 2026
Pulitzer Center Grantee Karen Hao Named One of the Most Influential People in AI
Project
AI Colonialism
The AI supply chain often concentrates power into the hands of wealthy nations.
Karen Hao, a Pulitzer Center grantee, has been named by Business Insider as one of the most influential people in artificial intelligence.
The AI Power List, launched in 2023, recognizes the people shaping the direction of AI across sectors. Hao was honored for her debut book, Empire of AI, as well as for leading the Pulitzer Center’s AI Spotlight Series, a free training initiative designed to equip journalists with the skills to critically cover AI and hold technology companies accountable.
The recognition places Hao among key figures framing public debate, and Business Insider writes that Hao has “shifted global discourse on AI through fearless reporting.”
Hao’s partnership with the Pulitzer Center began in 2021 with her reporting project, AI Colonialism. Her reporting for MIT Technology Review investigates how historical and structural inequalities are embedded in the AI global supply chain.
By centering the perspectives of data workers and affected communities around the world, Hao’s reporting brings a global justice perspective to artificial intelligence and contributes to public understanding of its real-world consequences.
Read Hao’s reporting project, and learn more about The AI Spotlight Series.
