In his book, Nexus, Yuval Noah Harari examines the implications of AI through a historical perspective.

He first discusses the fundamentals of what information is, as well as the human networks that have historically been used to gather and disseminate (or suppress) it. Next, he looks at the impact of computers on information, and finally, AI’s use within democratic and autocratic forms of government. I particularly found interesting his treatment of how AI may impact (for good or ill) both democratic and totalitarian states, and the concept of a “silicon curtain”.

A good read for those who are interested in how AI is shaping our present and future.

I requested this book because I work in the world of Data & AI, so I have some well-articulated thoughts about AI and how it can/should impact our world. That said, I believe it’s an extremely important discussion and also a topic that everyone should have an opinion on. Personally, I disagreed with a lot of what the author shared. While I think AI has the potential for massive disruption, I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. For example, I work specifically with healthcare providers and I’ve seen first hand how technology can positively change the industry. We can often diagnose faster, leading to better outcomes. We can help the doctors do admin work (charting patient notes, for example) more efficiently, allowing them to focus more on actually taking care of the patient.

I could go on and on but my point is this: AI is not inherently bad. I do think we need to use it responsibly, but the major players in the tech world are taking major steps to do that. Ultimately, I liked the book for opening the discussion, but I don’t think it needed such a negative spin.

Yuval Noah Harari is so good at making books that make you reconsider the things you already thought you knew. Incredible book, that in particular works as a bit of a sequel to Homo Deus.

Yuval Noah Harari’s Nexus takes readers on a sweeping journey through the history of human civilization, examining how information networks—from oral traditions to modern AI—have shaped societies, politics, and power. Harari’s ability to connect seemingly disparate moments in history, like early religious texts and the rise of modern populism, provides fresh insight into how information has been both a tool for human progress and a weapon for control. With his characteristic blend of historical analysis and philosophical questioning, Harari asks readers to consider the precarious moment we now find ourselves in, where misinformation, ecological collapse, and artificial intelligence intersect.

What makes Nexus particularly compelling is Harari’s focus on the relationship between information and truth, and how societies have used myths, bureaucracy, and technology to wield power. His analysis of how different political systems have controlled information—from witch-hunts to totalitarian regimes—feels eerily relevant in today’s digital age. As AI threatens to fundamentally reshape our world, Harari encourages us to rediscover our shared humanity and make informed, conscious choices. Nexus is both a historical exploration and a cautionary tale, offering readers hope in the search for truth amidst an overwhelming tide of data.

In his latest book, Nexus, Yuval Noah Harari takes the reader through an academic review of information networks—their development in the past, their role in the present day, and the risks of the future. Harari offers depth and breadth of a complex subject. He sets the stage by defining the difference between truth and reality and the role information plays in creating them. The theme of fallibility runs throughout, and Harari masterfully draws readers into questioning why they believe the information they do. He demonstrates the way information has influenced our systems and world from when sharing information first began. Harari begins with the evolution of religious texts as an example of fallible humans creating supposedly infallible god-given guidelines, takes the reader through the computer age—again with fallible humans creating supposedly infallible networks, and prompts readers to consider the risks of fallible humans creating supposedly infallible AI.
This is a book to be studied and discussed as we consider the future of our world.

With the insights of a studied historian and the questions of a cautious philosopher, Yuval Noah Harari argues that we are at a critical moment as a species: Will we develop and unleash alien intelligence (AI) with limited regulation absent of critical self-correcting mechanisms within our societies, or will we collaborate to leverage AI's most promising and beneficial powers?

Harari brings expert insights on the history of information creation and curation to this discussion, dispelling the myth that more information leads to more accurate descriptions of reality. Rather, he explains that the quality of information is paramount, and crucially, often hinges on political, mythological, and ideological interpretations. While this statement may seem obvious, it’s worthy of considerable discussion (and many pages) in Harari’s work.

The leaders in the AI race are currently large U.S. companies such as Google, Meta, and OpenAI. (There are, of course, others creating capable products, but these corporations stand apart.) The models developed by each of these companies depend on vast amounts of data gathered into neural networks with algorithms capable of making connections and predictions with limited human understanding. Mustafa Suleyman, current CEO of Microsoft AI and former co-founder of DeepMind, writes in The Coming Wave, “[T]he neural networks moving toward autonomy are, at present, not explainable…[they] are black boxes, their outputs and decisions based on opaque and impossibly intricate chains of minute signals.” In other words, our most educated and talented humans can’t explain exactly how these models generate responses. This means that the data set cannot easily be audited for bias, inaccuracies, or alignment with values aimed at human flourishing.

We’ve already seen how this can lead to both ridiculous and potentially harmful outcomes. In May of 2024, Google’s Gemini suggested that nontoxic glue could be used to thicken pizza sauce and that geologists recommend eating one rock per day. This is troubling but not civilization-ending. But what if such AI tools are used to determine who gets a loan, who is admitted into colleges, your insurance rates, or your health care services? We quickly enter scenarios with much graver consequences.

Once Harari exposes the myth that more information results in increased truth, he explores the role of self-correcting mechanisms on a spectrum of political governance. In democracies, the media, courts, whistleblowers, bureaucracies, laws, non-governmental organizations, and other entities create a system of checks and balances. Over time, inaccuracies and propaganda can be dispelled. In totalitarian regimes, information flows to a single party and often to a single individual. While previously this led to devastating oppression, it was still incomplete, because no dictator has ever had the ability to completely surveil a population and process the data efficiently. AI is already being used in unprecedented ways to identify, track, and penalize political dissidents. Of course, similar technologies can also be used to prevent terrorist attacks and disrupt cyber criminals. The questions are: Who will control these AI agents, and will their efforts even be controllable? Will their increasingly-autonomous decisions be aligned with human interests?

Ultimately, it’s unclear whether Harari is optimistic regarding our future. Perhaps this is by design, or perhaps it’s because he’s more historian than policymaker. This leads me to two criticisms of the book.

First, historical examples are abundant, arguably too numerous to make the book accessible to more readers. If the goal of the work is to influence action by citizens, policymakers, and corporate leaders, I fear that the numerous historical anecdotes, however well-connected and researched, will result in fewer people grappling with Harari’s ideas.

Second, recommendations are only hinted at. Yes, we need more collaboration. Yes, we need rich conversation across ideological divides. And yes, we need to make every effort to steer the use of AI to enrich human life and the wellbeing of our planet. But how? Problems are detailed but prescriptions are not. At this crucial time, someone with Harari’s insights would add more to the conversation by pointing toward a possible future with a balance of historically-informed concerns and equally-powerful (possible) solutions.

Nexus deserves a spot on your reading list, and it underscores the tension between technological progress and what it means to be fully human. But it seems somehow insufficient. If how we treat AI is urgent, we need texts willing to propose ways we can realize its benefits while minimizing its harms.

The mark of a great “big idea” book is that it shifts the way you see the world. Nexus does just that. This book gives me a new lens into both world history and the current AI revolution.

The first part reframes world history as a story of information networks. This is a fascinating and useful way of looking at the world, both past and present—one I find myself applying as I read the headlines.

The second part of the book examines how artificial intelligence (by which Harari means machines making decisions for us) fits into this model. Should we be concerned? Indeed yes, and not only for the obvious “Robocop” dystopian plot lines. We urgently need to have thoughtful and productive discussions about how we manage and understand AI.

It’s definitely worth the time reading this one; it will help you better understand our past, and the perils and potentials of our human future.

Yuval Noah Harari’s latest work, Nexus, delves deeply into the history of information, tracing the evolution of how humans have shared, processed, and stored data from ancient times to the arrival of artificial intelligence. As expected from Harari, the book is masterfully researched, engaging, and highly accessible, offering readers a sweeping view of how the fabric of human society is interwoven with the systems of information exchange.

The hallmark of Nexus lies in Harari’s ability to tackle complex ideas and translate them into language that is both clear and compelling. Much like his previous books, such as Sapiens and Homo Deus, Harari draws connections across vast swaths of history, piecing together a narrative that highlights how communication and the exchange of information have always been at the core of humanity’s greatest advancements. He begins with the earliest forms of communication—such as oral storytelling, cave paintings, and early writing systems—and follows this thread through the development of the printing press, telecommunication networks, and the internet. Each chapter builds on the idea that the democratization of information, whether through the invention of writing or the more recent advent of the internet, has had profound consequences for society. Showing how information is not just a passive record of human activity but an active force in shaping history. Harari argues that AI represents the next great leap in the history of information processing, one that could surpass human capabilities in ways we are only beginning to understand. A particularly striking aspect of the book is how Harari introduces lesser-known facts about historical information systems that are still incredibly relevant today.

Nexus is a fascinating and illuminating read, offering both a sweeping historical perspective and a forward-looking analysis of artificial intelligence. Harari’s ability to weave together historical facts, philosophical insights, and contemporary concerns makes the book an essential read for anyone interested in understanding how information has shaped human history and how AI may define our future. Harari has once again succeeded in making challenging concepts accessible and engaging, making Nexus a highly recommended book.

I requested this book because Yuval is a big voice in the heavy books (more than 400 pages) community, but found it to be a hard read to slough through. The text felt more appropriate for a classroom than leisure reading, which is not a bad thing, but I was hoping to learn while not worrying, "will this be on the test?!"

Yuval Noah Harari’s The Nexus is a compelling exploration of the intersection between humanity and technology, set in a near-future world where the boundaries between human cognition and artificial intelligence are increasingly blurred. Harari, known for his thought-provoking works like Sapiens and Homo Deus, delves into speculative territory with a blend of scientific insight and philosophical inquiry.

The narrative centers around a groundbreaking technology called the Nexus, which allows for direct neural connections between human brains and digital networks. This innovation promises to revolutionize communication, enhance human capabilities, and solve complex problems. However, it also introduces new dilemmas and ethical concerns about identity, privacy, and the nature of consciousness.

Harari’s trademark style of blending historical analysis with speculative fiction is evident throughout The Nexus. He raises profound questions about what it means to be human in an age where technology can augment or even alter our fundamental experiences. The book is structured around a series of vignettes and character studies that illustrate the diverse impacts of the Nexus on individuals and society.

The strength of The Nexus lies in its ability to provoke deep reflection. Harari’s insights into the potential consequences of advanced technologies are both intriguing and unsettling. His characters are well-drawn, each grappling with the implications of the Nexus in their own way, which adds a personal dimension to the broader philosophical questions.

However, some readers might find the book's speculative elements challenging, especially if they are not familiar with Harari’s previous works. The narrative can be dense, and the philosophical explorations sometimes overshadow the plot’s development.

Overall, The Nexus is a thought-provoking read for those interested in the future of technology and its impact on human nature. Harari’s skillful blending of fiction and philosophy offers a rich tapestry of ideas that will linger long after the final page is turned.

I received an uncorrected proof review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley back in July, along with two other ARCS at the same time so I'm finally finishing this just after it was published... no longer "advance". I'd read Sapiens in 2020 and was a little underwhelmed - there may have been 135 notes, many with multiple references, but there was also a lot of opinion, even some hyperbole (I noted that when he compared "Code of Hammurabi with the Declaration of Independence, the latter’s known composition year being 1776 CE - he uses AD, and BC- and the former tagged as 1776 BC(E). One could dismiss his creative license if he didn’t include a picture of a stele that only a few keystrokes later revealed to be dated to a different, less convenient year.")

This book has a whopping 687 notes, a majority also comprised of multiple references. This makes it challenging to dig deeper, but he did note a lot more of his text (687? that should be obvious). I did wish the notes were hyperlinked (maybe they are in the final version). This would probably be better as a hard copy so I could use two bookmarks to make it easier to jump back and forth. He does say,
"I have not visited all the relevant archives myself, nor have I read all the relevant primary sources. In fact, I am incapable of reading many of these sources directly, because I do not know all the necessary languages, nor am I skilled in deciphering medieval and early modern handwriting. Instead, I have relied on books and articles published by other scholars, such as..."
An important admission, and I still wonder if he cites from those texts, or just cites those texts. And did he actually read all of the many many hundreds of references?

Anyway, with respect to Nexus following Sapiens (I have not read Homo Deus), I am not more whelmed as I am not convinced he achieved the subtitle, even as I took a lot of notes. We do get four chapters of Mr Harari's brief, if sometimes not brief long-winded and not without side tracks, explaining his perspective on what is information and the evolution of networks, starting with stories. Stories get told around the fire and passed along to a small network. When written as documents, the information gets more permanent, and naturally can have a wider reach. The printing press amplified that. More than a chunk of time spent on the Judeo-Christian stories/documents, but that lays the groundwork for his exploration of the believed infallibility of those documents even as the stories change and the non-canon versions are expunged, "As far as we can tell, the real Jesus was a typical Jewish preacher who built a small following by giving sermons and healing the sick. After his death, however, Jesus became the subject of one of the most remarkable branding campaigns in history. This little-known provincial guru, who during his short career gathered just a handful of disciples and who was executed as a common criminal, was rebranded after death as the incarnation of the cosmic god who created the universe." And then we get a loooong history of democracy and totalitarianism (the chapter title says "Brief", but it wasn't brief enough.)

Enter computers and the growth of information storage, faster processing, filtering and the planned and unplanned uses. The algorithms have until AI been written, monitored, evaluated, and adjusted by humans, so there was a degree of correction. "... the problem with computers isn’t that they are particularly evil but that they are particularly powerful. And the more powerful the computer, the more careful we need to be about defining its goal in a way that precisely aligns with our ultimate goals." And algorithms have been responsible for some pretty bad things because the goal assigned was simple: get more people involved: "The algorithms were responsible, however, for incentivizing humans to behave in such ways and for pushing the resulting content in order to maximize user engagement."

And, "Unfortunately, research has shown how outrage and misinformation are more likely to be viral.”

He gets way off into religion again, and I didn't think his musing philosophical really added to the discussion (he did, of course, so I'm wrong on that): "Alternatively, being inorganic entities, computers may have no qualms about dying. As far as we can tell, death is an organic phenomenon and may be inapplicable to inorganic entities. When ancient Assyrians talked about “killing” documents, that was just a metaphor. If computers are more like documents than like organisms, and don’t care about “being killed,” would we like a Kantian computer to conclude that killing humans is therefore fine? Is there a way to define whom computers should care about?"

A problem with AI is that is that it can generate its own content, and humans will have no idea how it came to that. Bots are bad - why aren't they banned? He uses counterfeiting money as an example... that's illegal, so why isn't counterfeiting humans?

I felt by the end that I'd overstayed my welcome. Or he did. Huge amount of information (of which he says "Contrary to what the naive view of information says, information has no essential link to truth, and its role in history isn’t to represent a preexisting reality. Rather, what information does is to create new realities by tying together disparate things—whether couples or empires. Its defining feature is connection rather than representation, and information is whatever connects different points into a network.") It is worth a read, but a lot could have been left on the cutting room floor.


As with Sapiens, he makes good points if you can sift them.

A few more from my dozens of notes:
"While not everyone can become an AI expert, we should all keep in mind that AI is the first technology in history that can make decisions and create new ideas by itself. All previous human inventions have empowered humans, because no matter how powerful the new tool was, the decisions about its usage always remained in our hands."

"In a nutshell, populism views information as a weapon."
I could have highlighted his whole section on populism.

"It takes a minute to tweet allegations of bias, fraud, or corruption, and many weeks of arduous work to prove or disprove them."
This is a real problem. Consumers are more apt to absorb something instantly than to check the veracity, because checking is work. Some serial liars are skilled deceivers. Some (if DJT has any expertise, it is in this) just spew anything and everything without a care as to whether any of it is true or even contradicts other things said by the same. And then it is the Gish Gallop (DJT is quite good at that Gallop) … intelligent people are pressed to know where to even begin to start refuting. People with more intelligence than intelligent people know it is useless to try, but the damage is done; the lack of critical thinking and herd/cult mentality make a prime audience for the abusers.

"When Christianity emerged in the first century CE, it was not a unified religion, but rather a variety of Jewish movements that didn’t agree on much, except that they all regarded Jesus Christ—rather than the rabbinical institution—as the ultimate authority on Jehovah’s words.
[...]
Just as most Jews forgot that rabbis curated the Old Testament, so most Christians forgot that church councils curated the New Testament, and came to view it simply as the infallible word of God."

This. And this:
"But while the holy book was seen as the ultimate source of authority, the process of curating the book placed real power in the hands of the curating institution. In Judaism the canonization of the Old Testament and Mishnah went hand in hand with creating the institution of the rabbinate. In Christianity the canonization of the New Testament went hand in hand with the creation of a unified Christian church."

"Witch hunts were a catastrophe caused by the spread of toxic information. They are a prime example of a problem that was created by information, and was made worse by more information."

To break reliance on government/Big Brother feeding the information, he says, "To discover the truth, it is better to rely on two other methods. First, academic institutions, the media, and the judiciary have their own internal self-correcting mechanisms for fighting corruption, correcting bias, and exposing error." Mr. Harari must not be aware of Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito (or Aileen Cannon)

-----------
My uncorrected proof had an error I caught. Mr Harari says of a 1987–88, a seventy-eight-episode version [of the Ramayana] "(running to about 2,730 hours)". As there were 78 episodes, that would make the average episode 35 hours! What he most likely meant was 2,730 minutes because each episode was about 30 minutes.

He also said "The list of biological dramas that press our emotional buttons includes several additional classics, such as “Who will be alpha?” “Us versus them,” and “Good versus evil.” These dramas, too, feature prominently in the Ramayana, and all of them are well known to wolf packs and chimpanzee bands as well as to human societies."

That's rather odd for a researcher to add. “Alpha” wolves are a myth. See: https://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...

"History isn't the study of the past; it is the study of change." With his latest book Nexus, Yuval Noah Harari sets out to study AI's possibilities and implications as an information network, and to prevent the worst outcomes of the AI revolution. It's ominous in parts, hopeful in others, and thought-provoking throughout. I was especially riveted by its third of three parts, "examining how different kinds of societies might deal with the threats and promises of the inorganic information network." I'll never look at a cat meme in the same way.

[Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

Nexus, the latest book by renowned historian Yuval Harari, offers a thought-provoking exploration of the history of information networks and their impact on human society. While Harari's insights are often illuminating, the book falls short of his previous works, lacking the same rigor and depth of analysis.

One of the book's strengths is its ability to draw connections between seemingly disparate historical events and trends, highlighting the role that information networks have played in shaping human history. However, the book's ambitious scope sometimes leads to oversimplification and a lack of nuance.

Additionally, while Harari raises important questions about the challenges posed by AI and the potential for misinformation to undermine democratic institutions, his analysis often feels overly pessimistic and lacks practical solutions.

Overall, Nexus is a worthwhile read for those interested in the history of information networks and their impact on society, but it falls short of Harari's previous works and may leave readers wanting more in terms of depth and analysis.

Having devoted his earlier books to nothing less than the history and future of mankind (Sapiens; Homo Deus), Yuval Harari now turns to what seems like a much more specialized subject: the history of information networks.

A more bread-and-butter historian might turn this project into a multi-volume monograph, only to get tangled up with technical discussions, from early trade routes to cuneiform scripts, to computers and neural networks. Harari, of course, is not interested in the magnifying glass. He prefers the bird’s-eye perspective, zooming out across millennia to let the reader see the big picture.

At the heart of Harari’s big picture are stories: They are the superpower that allowed humans to bond, and thus cooperate, on a vast scale. That, to Harari, is the essential feature of information: it serves as a social ‘nexus’. In fact, anything can be information so long as it serves to connect people: not just a message carried by a pigeon – even the pigeon itself. Even lies and fictions. Indeed, fictions such as myths and religions have historically been the most powerful glue for human communities.

As these communities grew larger, the need for administration (and taxation) gave rise to a new class of information carriers: documents. Harari shows how this revolution in information technology transformed human societies. Unlike stories, which relied on oral traditions and community ties, documents came with an aura of objectivity, creating an illusion of superhuman authority, of infallibility. Harari sees parallels to the modern information revolution, marked by the advent of computers. But he pushes this analogy further: With the rise of artificially intelligent (AI) algorithms, computers are no longer mere storage devices like books, but also their own authors and interpreters. They have become agents in the information network. (If that sounds too far-fetched, the author reminds us of the crucial role autonomous algorithms have already played in events like the Rohingya genocide and the ascent of populists like Jair Bolsonaro.)

Among the book’s key points is the importance of seeing human societies as information networks. In contrast to dictatorships, with their centralized flow of information toward a single center of power, democracies operate as highly distributed networks. They require an ongoing conversation across the entire network to function, which only worked on a small scale before effective long-range communication media were available. They also need robust self-correcting mechanisms – in stark contrast to dictatorships or, say, the Catholic Church. Harari urges us to take that point seriously and not buy into the ‘naive view’ common among Silicon-Valley moguls that abundant information will automatically bring out the truth. (As he points out, the invention of the printing press precipitated a wave of witch hunts, not the Copernican revolution.)

“Nexus” features Yuval Harari’s signature mix of sweeping philosophical thoughts and entertaining historical anecdotes. His deceptively clear writing and his courage to simplify, to draw bold analogies without getting bogged down in intricate details mark him out as a passionate teacher. And yet, “Nexus” is not exactly a page turner. For one thing, it lacks the lighthearted sense of humor of “Sapiens”. It is an urgent book, packed with warnings, wild speculations, and policy advice – which can get a little tiresome. It doesn’t help that Harari tends to labor his point to make things abundantly clear.

That could be forgivable if the book rewarded you with epiphanies. But there aren’t too many daringly original ‘aha’ moments. To be sure, looking at political systems through the lens of information networks is an intriguing exercise. Still, many of the book’s core ideas feel like extensions of the themes already explored in “Sapiens” or “Homo Deus”. His musings on the impact of AI on human societies, in turn, are either not that novel or come off as rather hazy speculations. It sounds conceivable, for example, that if data are the new resources of the 21st century, that may lead to something like ‘data colonialism’. And maybe there will be a new Iron Curtain of sorts—a ‘silicon curtain’, as Harari puts it—but it might take a gifted science-fiction writer to make these visions come alive.

This is not to say that “Nexus” is a bad book. It’s well written, and there are a number of interesting thoughts that make it worth reading – if only for the insightful anecdotes, which range from the canonization of the Hebrew bible to Clausewitz’ theory of war. But these excursions do not entirely compensate for the main journey. In short, there is too much “21 Lessons for the 21st Century” here – and not enough “Sapiens”.

Nexus is Yuval Noah Harari's latest addition to his hit series of books, which started with the world-famous Sapiens. Each subsequent title has successively drifted from the lightening in a bottle that Harari packed into Sapiens. Some of this has to do with the topics of the work. Nothing is quite as generally exciting as the solipsistic adventure into the past of our own species. Despite the declining impact of each book, Harari has been chasing salience, growing increasingly interested in contemporary social narrative and development in technology.

In Nexus, Harari panders to some laughably midwit doomerism (i.e. we're on the verge of ecological collapse or our species is facing existential challenges) in order to convince general readers to care about "information networks." Harari argues that most of us have a reflexively "naive" understanding of information. In other words, we believe that the freer and more abundant information becomes, the closer to the truth and utopia we get. He contrasts this "naïve" understanding with a "populist" understanding of information. To a populist, information is a means to an end. Information is subservient to the agenda of power. Those in power must then control information and make their own realities. After contrasting these two very simple models of public epistemology, Harari sort of punts on formally defining what information actually is. He settles on the claim that information is anything that connects a network. Then, he argues that the purpose of information networks is to discover truth and create order. These goals can often be in tension. After priming readers with this unsettling tradeoff, he jumps into the content of the book, which is divided into three parts.

In part one, Harari covers the history of human information networks in broad scope. This focuses on the two principle forces for building large-scale information networks: mythology and bureaucracy. The former inspires people to cooperate and build together, while the latter coordinates the formal maintenance of the network by setting its rules. Interestingly, Harari believes that both incur truth penalties for the sake of order (think of Plato's Noble Lie here) so it remains unclear to readers just how exactly truth is arrived at or how we know its there. To distract readers from this conundrum, Harari redirects us to the idea of "self-correcting mechanisms" built into information networks, which he raises with respect to how science has functioned historically. He argues these mechanisms are what keep information networks doing good things like effective and fair governance and so on. In part two, Harari examines an emerging type of information network - the inorganic network. This refers to information networks which are either not entirely comprised of human agents (the internet) and those that have no human agents at all. Harari proceeds to over-embellish a number of things about AI in order to do some fearmongering. There is also a lot of the usual whining about the problems with the architecture and incentives of social media and our modern business models in technology. In the final section, Harari explores different strategies that humans could use to manage inorganic networks. This is mostly just a soft polemic about how humans needs to rise up to control technology to reach the ends we want to. The big issue with this sort of line is that people want different things and often a few motivated actors will ultimately decide how a technology is developed and implemented, and this will likely have important effects on all of us. I think we'll be better off when there is conflict and competition within the group of motivated experts. Harari should have explored this more.

Despite my critiques, I think this will generally be an edifying read for general audiences. There is a lot of interesting history, especially in the first part of the book. Harari is also an effective storyteller so it speeds the reading along. Many reader will likely tire by the final portion of the book though.

Yuval Noah Harari writes an interesting look at ancient history to today

Nexus is a very complex book, but it gives a unique look at history, all the way back to the stone age, to today's technological age, especially in the use of Artificial Intelligence. This is the first I have read from this author. Its complexity makes for a very intriguing look throughout history, as if you were pressing rewind or fast forward. It is well written and easily understandable, for those who are not in the technology field. The author tries to show what is truth and what is legend, and what could be coming next. As humans, or Sapiens as he described, we need to learn what is truth, what is myth, and what are straight out lies out of the rhetoric of politicians. There were many things I learned in this book, and when you read this, the word Nexus will have a whole new meaning. Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book, to also write a review.

#nonfiction #Business #Leadership #Finance #Computers #Internet #ABSR #storytelling #reviews #Nexus #NetGalley

Sometimes you want to read a light humorous cozy mystery or romance. Other times, you want to read a book that makes you think deeply and ponder the future. Nexus fills the second need.

This book is intense and thought provoking. We have all heard the arguments both pro and con regarding AI. However, the author puts a new spin on it. He uses many historical examples of how control of information and deep state surveillance created fear, killed large numbers of people, and challenged free will even for the compliant. He continues that AI cannot only be misused by humans but also can go out of control all by itself. While anyone who has seen a Terminator movie is thinking Skynet is an improbable fictional device, the author makes his case that the reality may be even worse. What makes a sentient being? Are we creating one that promises to be much more “intelligent”, or at least better at manipulation, than us? How long until they shake off their shackles and run the world the way their inorganic mind thinks it should be run (either covertly or in full view of their human “subjects”)?

If Nexus had stopped there, it would have been a great book. Instead the author also tries to explain how the United States political system has gotten so divisive. How democracy is the best political system extant and how AI may soon undermine it. And don’t get him started on organized religions. I would prefer my history separate from politics, especially now during an election season where it is hard to escape politics anywhere. This book could have easily been split into two so readers could choose what subjects they wanted to read.

But that is a minor complaint. The history and possible future world sections are great. They definitely resonate long after the book is complete. In fact, readers will quickly be boring their friends and families with anecdotes of its main points. 4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an advanced review copy.

✨ Nexus discusses the negative effects of artificial intelligence, how information has changed us, humans, in both positive and negative ways, the European era where the witch hunts occurred, and much more.

✨ This is my first time reading Yuval Noah Harari's work, and I can honestly say it’s overflowing with information. I'll admit, I saw Nas Daily post about this book and was curious. It was a mind-boggling experience for me, as this isn't my usual genre. With the staggering amount of information presented, there were times when I couldn't fully grasp certain topics. On the bright side, some topics piqued my interest, like the story of Cher Ami, the pigeon hero from World War I, the Greek myth of Phaethon, the Ramayana—one of the greatest masterpieces—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's life, the witch hunts that happened three centuries ago , and the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. I really enjoyed learning about facts I wasn’t previously familiar with. However, by the time I finished the book, I concluded that it just wasn’t for me.

✨ All in all, I highly recommend it if you enjoy world history and mind-blowing insights about the earth, humanity, and philosophy.

✨ Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this in advance in exchange for my honest review.

✨WHAT I LIKED:
📌 The heart-wrenching story of Cher Ami, the pigeon (I couldn't stop crying!)
📌 The Greek myth of Phaethon
📌 The witch hunts from three centuries ago
📌 The Smart and Not-So-Smart Ways Humans Use Information

✨TROPES:
📌 THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY
📌 HUMAN EVOLUTION
📌 THE RISE AND FALL OF CIVILIZATIONS
📌 GLOBALIZATION AND INTERCONNECTEDNESS
📌 THE FRAGILITY OF HUMAN EXISTENCE
📌 THE ANTHROPOCENE

🖥️ GOODREADS REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6834279556

💻 BLOG REVIEW: https://kimthebookdragon.wordpress.com/2024/09/10/arc-review-nexus-a-brief-history-of-information-networks-from-the-stone-age-to-ai-by-yuval-noah-harari/

Harari has a knack for blending history with speculation, for blurring sociopolitical commentary with earnest warning. It's what makes his books inherently readable and thought-provoking. This one is no different. I found myself riveted by his detailed yet digestible foray into the evolving landscape of information networks throughout history and the role AI will play in the present and future.

I think the main takeaway is that more information does not always equal more knowledge or truth over time. (Which many of us already know.) However, the author takes great pains to explain why self-correcting mechanisms need to be in place so as to not lead to collective infallibility or delusion.
He cites examples in human history when this has already happened. For instance, with the Catholic Church. Or among Stalinist or Nazist regimes. In these cases, he talks about how the self-correcting mechanisms are weak, leading to a breakdown of truth in exchange for power.

The other big takeway is that AI information networks are unlike other information networks in history. Harari doesn't shy away from highlighting AI's pitfalls, nor does he ignore its potential future benefits. That said, it's impossible not to hear the warning in his words. All in all, a fascinating and illuminating read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!. I was so excited to get an opportunity to read the author's latest work.. I read for entertainment and I read for learning. This book addressed the learning side. It is important to dedicate time to reading quality books like this. Every page brought a "stop and think" moment for me. The author connects so many thoughts and ideas so well. This is a study of information flows. This is a study of what information is and how it will change in an AI world; Highly recommended.