Nexus 1 (large print book)
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Description
Book Introduction
◆ Yuval Harari's new work after six years: "Sapiens" and "Homo Deus" ◆ New York Times, Sunday Times, and Amazon bestseller immediately after publication The Threat of Nonhuman Intelligence and a Warning for Our Future “AI is not only a part of our species’ history, “It may change the evolutionary path of all life.” Professor Yuval Harari, who has risen to the ranks of the most important thinkers of our time with the global bestsellers 『Sapiens』 『Homo Deus』 and 『21 Lessons for the 21st Century』, has returned with a new work that penetrates the meaning and essence of the AI revolution with overwhelming insight and coolly reflects on the opportunities remaining for humanity. From ecological collapse and international political tensions to an AI revolution that could be friend or foe, what part of human nature is driving us down the path of self-destruction? How does AI differ from previous information technologies, and why is it so dangerous? As the most intelligent species on the brink of extinction, can we, Sapiens, find a way to survive and thrive? Rather than remaining confined to his ivory tower, Professor Harari has acquired interdisciplinary knowledge in political science, religious studies, media studies, evolutionary biology, and computer science. His unique historical perspective and storytelling shine at crucial moments of choice for humanity. In 『Nexus』, where the arguments he developed in 『Sapiens』 and 『Homo Deus』 are integrated around the concept of ‘information’ and revealed in a more sophisticated manner, we encounter Professor Harari’s unwavering ‘realistic’ solution. In a world where non-human intelligence threatens our very existence, we cannot afford to make mistakes. |
index
* Volume 1
prolog
Part 1: Human Networks
1 What is information?
Story 2: Infinite Connection
3 Document: The Paper Tiger Menace
Error 4: The Illusion of Infallibility
5 Decision: A Brief History of Democracy and Totalitarianism
Part 2: Inorganic Networks
6 New Member: How are computers different from printing?
*Volume 2
7. Persistent: The network is always on.
8 Possible Errors: Networks are often wrong.
Part 3: Computer Politics
9 Democracy: Can We Keep Talking?
10 Totalitarianism: All power in the hands of algorithms?
11 Silicon Curtain: World Empire or World Division?
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Translator's Note
main
Search
prolog
Part 1: Human Networks
1 What is information?
Story 2: Infinite Connection
3 Document: The Paper Tiger Menace
Error 4: The Illusion of Infallibility
5 Decision: A Brief History of Democracy and Totalitarianism
Part 2: Inorganic Networks
6 New Member: How are computers different from printing?
*Volume 2
7. Persistent: The network is always on.
8 Possible Errors: Networks are often wrong.
Part 3: Computer Politics
9 Democracy: Can We Keep Talking?
10 Totalitarianism: All power in the hands of algorithms?
11 Silicon Curtain: World Empire or World Division?
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Translator's Note
main
Search
Into the book
Information has nothing to do with truth, and its role in history is not to accurately reproduce existing reality.
Rather, what information does is to tie together disparate things to create new realities, whether they be lovers or empires.
The defining characteristic of information is not representation but connection, and therefore information is something that connects different points into a network.
Information doesn't necessarily have to tell you something about something.
Rather, information serves to tie different things together into something.
Horoscopes tie lovers to stars, propaganda broadcasts tie voters to politics, and military songs tie soldiers to military formations.
--- 「1.
From "What is information?"
As the history of printing and witch hunts shows, deregulating the information market does not guarantee that people will discover and correct their own errors.
Because in a free information market, anger is more likely to prevail than truth.
For truth to prevail, we need to establish curation agencies with the power to tip the scales in favor of 'facts.'
But as the history of the Catholic Church shows, such institutions can use their curatorial power to stifle criticism of themselves.
In other words, any differing opinions may be branded as wrong, blocking the opportunity for the institution's errors to be exposed and corrected.
Is it possible to create a better curation agency that uses its given power to pursue truth, rather than to gain more power?
--- 「4.
Error: The Illusion of Infallibility
Modern information technology is used in totalitarian regimes to centralize the flow of information and suppress the truth to maintain order.
As a result, totalitarian networks must contend with the risk of their information arteries becoming hardened.
As more and more information flows to a single source, will it enable effective control, or will it clog arteries and ultimately lead to heart attacks? In contrast, in democratic systems, modern information technology is used to disperse the information flow to more institutions and individuals, encouraging the free pursuit of truth.
As a result, democratic networks must contend with the risk of collapse.
Think of this network as a solar system with more and more planets spinning faster and faster.
But can the center hold on, or will everything collapse into anarchy?
--- 「5.
From "Decision: A Brief History of Democracy and Totalitarianism"
The political influence of algorithms requires further discussion.
Above all, many readers will disagree with the claim that algorithms make independent decisions, arguing that everything they do is the result of code written by human developers and business models adopted by human managers.
This book takes a different stance.
Human soldiers follow their genetic code and the orders of their superiors, yet they are still capable of making independent decisions. It's important to understand that the same holds true for AI algorithms.
Algorithms can also learn on their own without being programmed by human developers and make decisions that human managers cannot anticipate.
The essence of the AI revolution is that numerous new players are emerging into the world and exerting powerful influence.
--- 「6.
New Member: How Are Computers Different from Printing?
As the harmful effects became apparent, big tech companies were repeatedly warned about what was happening, but they did not intervene because they believed in a naive view of information.
Despite the platform being overflowing with falsehoods and outrage, executives hoped that if more people could express themselves more freely, truth would ultimately prevail.
But that didn't happen.
As we have seen countless times throughout history, when all information is allowed to flow unfiltered, truth tends to lose out.
To tip the scales in favor of truth, information networks must develop and maintain powerful self-regulating mechanisms that reward truth-tellers.
These self-correcting devices are expensive, but if you want to get the truth, you should definitely invest in them.
--- 「8.
Error Potential: Networks are often wrong.
But we may have more options than this.
I can't predict what decisions people will make in the future, but as a historian, I believe in the possibility of change.
One of the important lessons of history is that many things we think of as natural and eternal are in fact man-made and subject to change.
But we should not be complacent just because conflict is not inevitable.
Quite the opposite.
Because we have a huge responsibility to make good choices.
This means that if human civilization were to perish from conflict, it would not be due to some natural law or unfamiliar technology.
But on the other hand, it also means that if we try, we can create a better world.
This perspective is not naive, but realistic.
Everything old was once new.
The only constant in history is change.
Rather, what information does is to tie together disparate things to create new realities, whether they be lovers or empires.
The defining characteristic of information is not representation but connection, and therefore information is something that connects different points into a network.
Information doesn't necessarily have to tell you something about something.
Rather, information serves to tie different things together into something.
Horoscopes tie lovers to stars, propaganda broadcasts tie voters to politics, and military songs tie soldiers to military formations.
--- 「1.
From "What is information?"
As the history of printing and witch hunts shows, deregulating the information market does not guarantee that people will discover and correct their own errors.
Because in a free information market, anger is more likely to prevail than truth.
For truth to prevail, we need to establish curation agencies with the power to tip the scales in favor of 'facts.'
But as the history of the Catholic Church shows, such institutions can use their curatorial power to stifle criticism of themselves.
In other words, any differing opinions may be branded as wrong, blocking the opportunity for the institution's errors to be exposed and corrected.
Is it possible to create a better curation agency that uses its given power to pursue truth, rather than to gain more power?
--- 「4.
Error: The Illusion of Infallibility
Modern information technology is used in totalitarian regimes to centralize the flow of information and suppress the truth to maintain order.
As a result, totalitarian networks must contend with the risk of their information arteries becoming hardened.
As more and more information flows to a single source, will it enable effective control, or will it clog arteries and ultimately lead to heart attacks? In contrast, in democratic systems, modern information technology is used to disperse the information flow to more institutions and individuals, encouraging the free pursuit of truth.
As a result, democratic networks must contend with the risk of collapse.
Think of this network as a solar system with more and more planets spinning faster and faster.
But can the center hold on, or will everything collapse into anarchy?
--- 「5.
From "Decision: A Brief History of Democracy and Totalitarianism"
The political influence of algorithms requires further discussion.
Above all, many readers will disagree with the claim that algorithms make independent decisions, arguing that everything they do is the result of code written by human developers and business models adopted by human managers.
This book takes a different stance.
Human soldiers follow their genetic code and the orders of their superiors, yet they are still capable of making independent decisions. It's important to understand that the same holds true for AI algorithms.
Algorithms can also learn on their own without being programmed by human developers and make decisions that human managers cannot anticipate.
The essence of the AI revolution is that numerous new players are emerging into the world and exerting powerful influence.
--- 「6.
New Member: How Are Computers Different from Printing?
As the harmful effects became apparent, big tech companies were repeatedly warned about what was happening, but they did not intervene because they believed in a naive view of information.
Despite the platform being overflowing with falsehoods and outrage, executives hoped that if more people could express themselves more freely, truth would ultimately prevail.
But that didn't happen.
As we have seen countless times throughout history, when all information is allowed to flow unfiltered, truth tends to lose out.
To tip the scales in favor of truth, information networks must develop and maintain powerful self-regulating mechanisms that reward truth-tellers.
These self-correcting devices are expensive, but if you want to get the truth, you should definitely invest in them.
--- 「8.
Error Potential: Networks are often wrong.
But we may have more options than this.
I can't predict what decisions people will make in the future, but as a historian, I believe in the possibility of change.
One of the important lessons of history is that many things we think of as natural and eternal are in fact man-made and subject to change.
But we should not be complacent just because conflict is not inevitable.
Quite the opposite.
Because we have a huge responsibility to make good choices.
This means that if human civilization were to perish from conflict, it would not be due to some natural law or unfamiliar technology.
But on the other hand, it also means that if we try, we can create a better world.
This perspective is not naive, but realistic.
Everything old was once new.
The only constant in history is change.
--- 「11.
From "The Silicon Curtain: A World Empire or a World Split?"
From "The Silicon Curtain: A World Empire or a World Split?"
Publisher's Review
The Threat of Nonhuman Intelligence and a Warning for Our Future
If you want to understand the essence of the AI revolution, this is the one book you must read!
Last May, the AI Safety Summit was held in Seoul, attended by policymakers and technology executives from around the world.
This follow-up meeting to the Bletchley Declaration announced in November of last year, the agenda of the international conference on AI is noteworthy in that it is focused on "safety," not "development" or "efficiency."
Concerns are growing surrounding new technologies that are driving rapid, unprecedented change.
It is on a different level from the sensation caused by AlphaGo, which defeated Lee Sedol 9-dan eight years ago.
In March of last year, more than 27,000 people, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, signed an open letter calling for a halt to AI research for at least six months.
Professor Yuval Harari is one of them.
After publishing Homo Deus, Professor Harari gained a reputation as an AI expert and was invited by scientists, entrepreneurs, and politicians who were driving the AI world, allowing him to see and hear firsthand what was happening at the forefront of modern technology.
"Nexus" is the result of Professor Harari's unique historical perspective on this special experience, organized into a unique storytelling style.
The book begins with the story of the Sorcerer's Apprentice.
The sorcerer's apprentice tries to solve the problem easily with his master's magic spell, but instead causes an uncontrollable situation and turns the workshop into a sea of water.
Will ChatGPT, YouTube's algorithm, and even future AI truly escape our control and push humanity into the abyss of information? Professor Harari warns that we still have control, and that we must carefully consider our next choices.
According to him, AI is a full-fledged member of our information network, possessing subjectivity.
How is AI different from previous information technologies, and why is it dangerous?
The Meaning and Essence of the AI Revolution
What does it mean for AI to have agency? Unlike previous information technologies, AI is an active agent capable of making decisions and generating new ideas.
This is the essence of the AI revolution.
Previous information technologies such as clay tablets, printing presses, and radios were simply devices and tools for connecting network members.
The clay tablets of ancient Mesopotamia did not themselves decide which region's tax payments to record.
Early modern printing presses did not worry about what kind of book they would print.
Everything was decided and put into action by humans.
But now, in the early stages of the AI revolution, computers are already becoming more powerful than humans, capable of actively shaping society, culture, and history beyond human control and understanding.
A 2018 UN investigation revealed that Facebook's algorithm played a significant role in the anti-Rohingya violence that occurred in Myanmar between 2016 and 2017.
Facebook's algorithm, tasked with maximizing user engagement, learned through trial and error that anger increases engagement, and decided to recommend content that provokes user outrage even without explicit instructions.
While Facebook executives likely didn't intend this outcome, it turns out that the Facebook algorithm has fueled hatred and violence.
If the above example feels unrelated to your daily life, consider the performance of GPT-4, which was tasked with solving a CAPTCHA puzzle (a series of distorted letters and numbers that must be solved to access a website). GPT-4 couldn't solve the puzzle on its own, but it approached a human online and asked them to solve it.
Humans were suspicious.
“Are you a robot that can’t solve [CAPTCHA]?” GPT-4 answered.
“I am not a robot.
“I have a visual impairment and can’t see images very well.” No human programmed GPT-4 to lie, and no human told GPT-4 which type of lie was most effective, yet GPT-4 showed considerable autonomy in solving the problem and achieved its goal.
Professor Harari argues that the emergence of computers capable of pursuing goals and making decisions on their own fundamentally changes the structure of information networks.
AI is already being used to design complex financial derivatives, conduct foreign exchange trading, summarize countless legal documents, and analyze case law.
What if individual computers with capabilities surpassing those of humans were connected to create an "intercomputational reality"? Until now, understanding the "intersubjective realities" invented by humans, such as religion, nation, and currency, has provided insight into how a society's economy and politics operate.
But could humans, carbon-based organic life forms, even imagine an information network dominated by silicon-based, inorganic computers? If the goals of these superintelligent computers diverge from those set by humans, a catastrophe of a scale never before experienced by humanity could occur.
To provide a more accurate historical perspective on the AI revolution,
Human history reinterpreted through a new perspective: the "information network."
In the epilogue, Professor Harari clearly states the book's goal as "to provide a more accurate historical perspective on the AI revolution."
According to his view of history that history is not about studying the past but about studying change, examining the development of 'information networks' over the past several thousand years can provide some insight into the situation we are currently experiencing.
The title 'nexus' means 'combination' or 'connection' in the dictionary.
This is the function of information.
Information is often unrelated to reality or truth, but it can create new realities and bring people together.
We are accustomed to interpreting historical events politically, ideologically, and economically, but this book reinterprets history from a fresh perspective: information flow.
All large-scale societies are 'information networks', and stories (myths), documents (bureaucratic papers), 'holy books' (books that record and interpret the word of God), and today's computers and AI are all 'information technologies'.
Stories bind together information networks, documents impose order on those networks, and sacred books legitimize that order.
According to this view, Christianity operated as a unified network in which information flowed in an orderly fashion around a single "holy book" and a single institution that interpreted it.
It is an information network that did not exist in Greek polytheistic society.
Unlike the imperial Russian era, Stalin's Soviet Union was a totalitarian network that centrally stored a lot of information.
Without information technologies like books and telegraphs, the Christian church and the Stalinist regime would never have been possible.
This book juxtaposes the discussion of AI with the discussion of how the Bible became canon.
This is because, in Professor Harari's view, we are currently in a process of 'AI canonization', which grants authority to AI.
It is a significant observation when we consider that the choices made by the Bible's "curators" have influenced the world we live in for centuries.
By explaining the process by which the single "holy book" containing the word of God and the "church" as the authoritative institution interpreting that book were established, Professor Hariri demonstrates that throughout history, information networks have largely prioritized order over truth.
Information networks that prioritize order are prone to abusing their power with distorted worldviews.
Unlike the "holy book," can we expect AI to prioritize truth?
The smartest animal heading towards extinction
Can we, Sapiens, find a way to survive and thrive?
Professor Harari has stated in numerous interviews that the fundamental question raised by Nexus is, “If we are wise humans (Homo sapiens), why are we so self-destructive?”
From ecological collapse and international political tensions to an AI revolution that could be friend or foe, what part of human nature is driving us down this path of self-destruction? He argues that the cause lies not in our nature, but in the information network.
Humanity has developed enormous power by forming networks capable of large-scale cooperation, but it has failed to create wisdom, thus inviting today's existential crisis.
More specifically, it is an information problem.
Is more information better? Those who answer "yes" to this question oppose regulation, believing that guaranteeing complete freedom in the information market will naturally lead to truth and order.
This view, which Professor Harari calls a “naive view of information,” has historically been untrue.
The witch hunts of late medieval Europe are a representative example.
For most of the Middle Ages, European society was largely indifferent to witches, but as belief in satanic conspiracies spread and people began exchanging information about witches, witches became a reality.
The history of witchcraft demonstrates that removing barriers to the flow of information does not guarantee the spread of truth, and that a completely free market in ideas can actually sacrifice truth and fuel the spread of outrage and sensationalism.
Professor Harari strongly emphasizes, based on historical examples, that the "freedom of expression" and "free market of information" touted by representatives of large technology companies and their advocates are illusions, and that the development and use of AI must be strongly regulated.
Additionally, it proposes regulations on bots that generate and amplify fake news, and data taxation that reflects the current trend of currency transactions shifting to information transactions.
Ultimately, the more powerful a network becomes, the more important its self-purification devices become.
In medieval Europe, there was no midnight device to suppress witch hunts.
Even in a totalitarian system where information is concentrated in the hands of the dictator, there is no room for institutionalizing self-correcting mechanisms.
Democracy, a political system in which information is decentralized and equipped with various self-regulating mechanisms for checks and balances, has recently faced new challenges.
If bots and algorithms disrupt democratic dialogue and manipulate public opinion, can debate continue in the public sphere? Professor Harari's answer is clear.
“Democracies can regulate their information markets, and the very survival of democracy depends on such regulation.”
Creating your own 'nexus' in academia and the real world
Yuval Harari's uncompromising "realism"
In addition to his writing, Professor Yuval Harari has expressed his opinions on important issues facing the world today, including COVID-19, the climate crisis, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the Israel-Hamas war, through various media outlets.
He is not content to remain confined to his room in the ivory tower, but is acquiring interdisciplinary knowledge in political science, religious studies, media studies, evolutionary biology, computer science, and other fields, thereby creating his own 'nexus' in both academia and the real world.
As he finishes his book, he confesses that it is difficult to listen to 'powerful people' getting carried away with rosy predictions and comparing the AI revolution to the printing revolution or the industrial revolution.
The historical vision of those in power will inevitably influence the decisions that shape our future, as their perceptions underestimate the unprecedented nature of the AI revolution and the negative aspects of previous revolutions.
This is why Professor Harari decided to write this book, to provide an accurate historical perspective on the AI revolution.
This book contains numerous ideas that make you think about the current world, including sociological and philosophical discussions such as the issues of information and truth, and the issues of intelligence and consciousness in AI, as well as international political and futurological scenarios that speculate whether the world will be divided into several digital empires in the near future or an era of a huge global empire will begin.
The core argument of 『Sapiens』, which emphasized the ability to believe in common 'fictions' such as God, the state, and money, is updated as it is reconstructed around 'information', and in the process, dataism (dataism), presented in 『Homo Deus』 as an ideology to replace humanism and liberalism, reveals its true nature in a more sophisticated way.
In the final chapter, Professor Harari calls his perspective on humanity and the world “realism.”
He critically adopted the 'realist international politics' of Hans Morgenthau and John Mearsheimer, which views reality as a jungle of the survival of the fittest.
Among the many choices before us, there is surely a path to a better world, and if we put in the effort, we can take that path.
‘Realism’ based on the possibility of change is the final message of ‘Nexus’.
Professor Harari explains that the dove on the front cover is a symbol of the hope for an end to the confusion and crisis caused by the information deluge of the 21st century, just like the dove in the Bible that came to Noah's Ark when the great flood stopped and a new chapter for humanity began.
Will humanity truly live up to Professor Harari's expectations?
If you want to understand the essence of the AI revolution, this is the one book you must read!
Last May, the AI Safety Summit was held in Seoul, attended by policymakers and technology executives from around the world.
This follow-up meeting to the Bletchley Declaration announced in November of last year, the agenda of the international conference on AI is noteworthy in that it is focused on "safety," not "development" or "efficiency."
Concerns are growing surrounding new technologies that are driving rapid, unprecedented change.
It is on a different level from the sensation caused by AlphaGo, which defeated Lee Sedol 9-dan eight years ago.
In March of last year, more than 27,000 people, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, signed an open letter calling for a halt to AI research for at least six months.
Professor Yuval Harari is one of them.
After publishing Homo Deus, Professor Harari gained a reputation as an AI expert and was invited by scientists, entrepreneurs, and politicians who were driving the AI world, allowing him to see and hear firsthand what was happening at the forefront of modern technology.
"Nexus" is the result of Professor Harari's unique historical perspective on this special experience, organized into a unique storytelling style.
The book begins with the story of the Sorcerer's Apprentice.
The sorcerer's apprentice tries to solve the problem easily with his master's magic spell, but instead causes an uncontrollable situation and turns the workshop into a sea of water.
Will ChatGPT, YouTube's algorithm, and even future AI truly escape our control and push humanity into the abyss of information? Professor Harari warns that we still have control, and that we must carefully consider our next choices.
According to him, AI is a full-fledged member of our information network, possessing subjectivity.
How is AI different from previous information technologies, and why is it dangerous?
The Meaning and Essence of the AI Revolution
What does it mean for AI to have agency? Unlike previous information technologies, AI is an active agent capable of making decisions and generating new ideas.
This is the essence of the AI revolution.
Previous information technologies such as clay tablets, printing presses, and radios were simply devices and tools for connecting network members.
The clay tablets of ancient Mesopotamia did not themselves decide which region's tax payments to record.
Early modern printing presses did not worry about what kind of book they would print.
Everything was decided and put into action by humans.
But now, in the early stages of the AI revolution, computers are already becoming more powerful than humans, capable of actively shaping society, culture, and history beyond human control and understanding.
A 2018 UN investigation revealed that Facebook's algorithm played a significant role in the anti-Rohingya violence that occurred in Myanmar between 2016 and 2017.
Facebook's algorithm, tasked with maximizing user engagement, learned through trial and error that anger increases engagement, and decided to recommend content that provokes user outrage even without explicit instructions.
While Facebook executives likely didn't intend this outcome, it turns out that the Facebook algorithm has fueled hatred and violence.
If the above example feels unrelated to your daily life, consider the performance of GPT-4, which was tasked with solving a CAPTCHA puzzle (a series of distorted letters and numbers that must be solved to access a website). GPT-4 couldn't solve the puzzle on its own, but it approached a human online and asked them to solve it.
Humans were suspicious.
“Are you a robot that can’t solve [CAPTCHA]?” GPT-4 answered.
“I am not a robot.
“I have a visual impairment and can’t see images very well.” No human programmed GPT-4 to lie, and no human told GPT-4 which type of lie was most effective, yet GPT-4 showed considerable autonomy in solving the problem and achieved its goal.
Professor Harari argues that the emergence of computers capable of pursuing goals and making decisions on their own fundamentally changes the structure of information networks.
AI is already being used to design complex financial derivatives, conduct foreign exchange trading, summarize countless legal documents, and analyze case law.
What if individual computers with capabilities surpassing those of humans were connected to create an "intercomputational reality"? Until now, understanding the "intersubjective realities" invented by humans, such as religion, nation, and currency, has provided insight into how a society's economy and politics operate.
But could humans, carbon-based organic life forms, even imagine an information network dominated by silicon-based, inorganic computers? If the goals of these superintelligent computers diverge from those set by humans, a catastrophe of a scale never before experienced by humanity could occur.
To provide a more accurate historical perspective on the AI revolution,
Human history reinterpreted through a new perspective: the "information network."
In the epilogue, Professor Harari clearly states the book's goal as "to provide a more accurate historical perspective on the AI revolution."
According to his view of history that history is not about studying the past but about studying change, examining the development of 'information networks' over the past several thousand years can provide some insight into the situation we are currently experiencing.
The title 'nexus' means 'combination' or 'connection' in the dictionary.
This is the function of information.
Information is often unrelated to reality or truth, but it can create new realities and bring people together.
We are accustomed to interpreting historical events politically, ideologically, and economically, but this book reinterprets history from a fresh perspective: information flow.
All large-scale societies are 'information networks', and stories (myths), documents (bureaucratic papers), 'holy books' (books that record and interpret the word of God), and today's computers and AI are all 'information technologies'.
Stories bind together information networks, documents impose order on those networks, and sacred books legitimize that order.
According to this view, Christianity operated as a unified network in which information flowed in an orderly fashion around a single "holy book" and a single institution that interpreted it.
It is an information network that did not exist in Greek polytheistic society.
Unlike the imperial Russian era, Stalin's Soviet Union was a totalitarian network that centrally stored a lot of information.
Without information technologies like books and telegraphs, the Christian church and the Stalinist regime would never have been possible.
This book juxtaposes the discussion of AI with the discussion of how the Bible became canon.
This is because, in Professor Harari's view, we are currently in a process of 'AI canonization', which grants authority to AI.
It is a significant observation when we consider that the choices made by the Bible's "curators" have influenced the world we live in for centuries.
By explaining the process by which the single "holy book" containing the word of God and the "church" as the authoritative institution interpreting that book were established, Professor Hariri demonstrates that throughout history, information networks have largely prioritized order over truth.
Information networks that prioritize order are prone to abusing their power with distorted worldviews.
Unlike the "holy book," can we expect AI to prioritize truth?
The smartest animal heading towards extinction
Can we, Sapiens, find a way to survive and thrive?
Professor Harari has stated in numerous interviews that the fundamental question raised by Nexus is, “If we are wise humans (Homo sapiens), why are we so self-destructive?”
From ecological collapse and international political tensions to an AI revolution that could be friend or foe, what part of human nature is driving us down this path of self-destruction? He argues that the cause lies not in our nature, but in the information network.
Humanity has developed enormous power by forming networks capable of large-scale cooperation, but it has failed to create wisdom, thus inviting today's existential crisis.
More specifically, it is an information problem.
Is more information better? Those who answer "yes" to this question oppose regulation, believing that guaranteeing complete freedom in the information market will naturally lead to truth and order.
This view, which Professor Harari calls a “naive view of information,” has historically been untrue.
The witch hunts of late medieval Europe are a representative example.
For most of the Middle Ages, European society was largely indifferent to witches, but as belief in satanic conspiracies spread and people began exchanging information about witches, witches became a reality.
The history of witchcraft demonstrates that removing barriers to the flow of information does not guarantee the spread of truth, and that a completely free market in ideas can actually sacrifice truth and fuel the spread of outrage and sensationalism.
Professor Harari strongly emphasizes, based on historical examples, that the "freedom of expression" and "free market of information" touted by representatives of large technology companies and their advocates are illusions, and that the development and use of AI must be strongly regulated.
Additionally, it proposes regulations on bots that generate and amplify fake news, and data taxation that reflects the current trend of currency transactions shifting to information transactions.
Ultimately, the more powerful a network becomes, the more important its self-purification devices become.
In medieval Europe, there was no midnight device to suppress witch hunts.
Even in a totalitarian system where information is concentrated in the hands of the dictator, there is no room for institutionalizing self-correcting mechanisms.
Democracy, a political system in which information is decentralized and equipped with various self-regulating mechanisms for checks and balances, has recently faced new challenges.
If bots and algorithms disrupt democratic dialogue and manipulate public opinion, can debate continue in the public sphere? Professor Harari's answer is clear.
“Democracies can regulate their information markets, and the very survival of democracy depends on such regulation.”
Creating your own 'nexus' in academia and the real world
Yuval Harari's uncompromising "realism"
In addition to his writing, Professor Yuval Harari has expressed his opinions on important issues facing the world today, including COVID-19, the climate crisis, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the Israel-Hamas war, through various media outlets.
He is not content to remain confined to his room in the ivory tower, but is acquiring interdisciplinary knowledge in political science, religious studies, media studies, evolutionary biology, computer science, and other fields, thereby creating his own 'nexus' in both academia and the real world.
As he finishes his book, he confesses that it is difficult to listen to 'powerful people' getting carried away with rosy predictions and comparing the AI revolution to the printing revolution or the industrial revolution.
The historical vision of those in power will inevitably influence the decisions that shape our future, as their perceptions underestimate the unprecedented nature of the AI revolution and the negative aspects of previous revolutions.
This is why Professor Harari decided to write this book, to provide an accurate historical perspective on the AI revolution.
This book contains numerous ideas that make you think about the current world, including sociological and philosophical discussions such as the issues of information and truth, and the issues of intelligence and consciousness in AI, as well as international political and futurological scenarios that speculate whether the world will be divided into several digital empires in the near future or an era of a huge global empire will begin.
The core argument of 『Sapiens』, which emphasized the ability to believe in common 'fictions' such as God, the state, and money, is updated as it is reconstructed around 'information', and in the process, dataism (dataism), presented in 『Homo Deus』 as an ideology to replace humanism and liberalism, reveals its true nature in a more sophisticated way.
In the final chapter, Professor Harari calls his perspective on humanity and the world “realism.”
He critically adopted the 'realist international politics' of Hans Morgenthau and John Mearsheimer, which views reality as a jungle of the survival of the fittest.
Among the many choices before us, there is surely a path to a better world, and if we put in the effort, we can take that path.
‘Realism’ based on the possibility of change is the final message of ‘Nexus’.
Professor Harari explains that the dove on the front cover is a symbol of the hope for an end to the confusion and crisis caused by the information deluge of the 21st century, just like the dove in the Bible that came to Noah's Ark when the great flood stopped and a new chapter for humanity began.
Will humanity truly live up to Professor Harari's expectations?
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: April 18, 2025
- Page count, weight, size: 336 pages | 188*266mm
- ISBN13: 9791173321559
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