Award winning technology journalist and bestselling author Karen Hao is the 2026 Dai Ho Chun Distinguished Chair at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Social Sciences. Hao will give a free public lecture exploring how the race for artificial intelligence is reshaping society, economics and the environment. Hao’s talk, scheduled for October 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Kennedy Theatre, will draw on years of reporting to examine the extraordinary concentration of wealth, resources and power behind the artificial intelligence boom and its consequences for communities around the world.
Advance reservations are encouraged
“Karen Hao’s work has been cited as a must-read for those who are interested in deepening our understanding of societal shaping of this key technology. She will provide nuanced contexts to the AI debates,” said Denise Konan, interim provost at UH Mānoa.
AI and society
Hao, one of the world’s leading AI reporters, argues that companies like OpenAI, Anthropic and Google are gaining enormous power. Her lecture will explore what that means and how governments, universities and the public can help shape AI’s future.
“Universities have served as a public space to discuss important social and environmental issues,” said Aya H. Kimura, senior sustainability advisor and professor of sociology in the UH Mānoa College of Social Sciences. “We envision her talk to be a part of such broader discussion on how to govern AI with the principles of sustainability, transparency and accountability.”
Legacy gift
Hao’s appearance is made possible by the late Dai Ho Chun through his estate gift to the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation. The endowment is held in the UH Mānoa College of Social Sciences.
The event is organized in coordination with the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series, a joint venture of UH Mānoa, The Learning Coalition and Hawaiʻi Community Foundation.
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