This is the first work of Yuval Noah Harari's that I've encountered so perhaps I wasn't well-prepared for what "Nexus" would be - but have extremely mixed takeaways and thoughts after reading this.

"Nexus" is Harari's forway into the large and ever-changing world of information - from its very beginnings that we can trace to the current looming presence of AI. The book is split into a number of sections that follow a loosely chronological, semi-topical structure that is filled with a handful of historical examples and citations, some anecdotal snippets, as well as Harari's own musings and contemplations. For a work that is labeled as "nonfiction" however, the latter two take up far too much of the pages and so many times, it feels like the author is talking himself in circles. There are so many passages that are far too verbose and needlessly lengthy, and this book does not need to be 500+ pages in length.

While there are definitely sections and pieces of this work that I did find fascinating and thought-provoking, the work as a whole was far too distracting and veered off course too often. His foray into the realm of politics and democracy vs. totalitarianism seemed unnecessary, and the clear pessimism that he approaches the area of AI with also seemed unbalanced.

Unfortunately not a book I would recommend to most readers given that there are a number of prejudices the author seems to have from the very beginning of this work.

This is an excellent history of connections throughout history and well-worth reading. It's a bit wordy, however, and I skimmed some parts I was less interested in.

In Nexus, renowned historian and author Yuval Noah Harari continues the exploration he began in several previous volumes (Sapiens, Homo Deus, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century) of how humankind was able to harness information to its advantage—and remarkable development as a species—and what the continuing evolution of those information networks might hold for our future. In this volume, the author takes a more focused look at how societies from the Stone Age to what he calls the modern Silicon Age have seen their development influenced and determined by the way in which information is created, gathered, utilized, and controlled. While a considerable portion of Nexus is devoted to exploring how information networks developed historically—including an interesting comparison of the way information is used in democratic and totalitarian societies—the real essence of the narrative involves a discussion of how artificial intelligence (AI)-based networks represent a fundamental shift from the past in how information is generated and the purposes for which it is used. Importantly, Harari argues, this shift holds both the promise of vast improvements in our collective well-being as well as the peril of our potential self-destruction.

Although I suspect this book will have its critics (e.g., the author’s analysis is too shallow and too lurid; much of the substance is highly repetitive of his earlier work), the fact is that there is a lot to savor here. Harari argues persuasively that advanced societies could not exist without the ability to harness and share information through the stories they tell, the religious beliefs they adopt, and the bureaucratic mechanisms they form. However, while that information is crucial for cooperation, it can also be misused for control. Because of that, it is important to recognize that information itself is neither the same as truth, nor is it infallible. So, for that reason, any well-functioning information system must include effective self-correction tools that can unwind adverse outcomes resulting from data being used to reach a goal that is inconsistent with what was originally imagined and intended. The rise of AI-driven information systems presents a major challenge because their complexity may be beyond human understanding, they are able to learn and create new information on their own, and they typically lack sufficient self-correcting mechanisms. The author is not optimistic about our willingness and ability to manage where this new technology may take us in the future.

While Nexus has clearly been crafted for the inquisitive lay reader, it is very much the work of an academic scholar, which has both its good and bad aspects. On the positive side, the discussion in the book is extremely thought-provoking as well as being well-grounded in how the historical development and futuristic speculations tie together. The main frame of the centrality of information networks to our everyday lives and how those systems have evolved to where they may end up beyond our control is essential material to ponder. Conversely, the book is often bloated with what seemed like superfluous side-stories that did not fit the main purpose (e.g., descriptions of centuries-old religious disputes and military strategies) and it is, if anything, over-researched; fully one-quarter of the volume simply contained the reference footnotes for the main text. Overall, given that the role and the use of AI are among the central questions that we are likely to be debating for years to come, it is easy to recommend this book as one that puts so many of the relevant issues on the table, even if it does not really offer any concrete solutions.

Yuval Noah Harari's "Nexus" is an engaging and thought-provoking read that dives into the history of information networks and their impact on human civilization. The book covers a wide range of topics, from the early days of human communication to the complex information systems of today. Harari also delves into the development and potential dangers of artificial intelligence, offering a cautionary perspective that balances the optimism often portrayed by AI enthusiasts.

One of the strengths of "Nexus" is its well-researched content and Harari's ability to present complex ideas in an accessible way. The book does not shy away from the darker aspects of AI, making it a compelling read for those interested in the ethical implications of technological advancement. However, some readers may find the book's tone a bit pessimistic and its length somewhat daunting.

As a parent of a teen who frequently discusses AI's role in schoolwork and the need for teachers to verify homework, and as someone who has witnessed coworkers' increasing but now often restricted use of AI, I was drawn to this book. Additionally, the ongoing disputes about AI's impact on artists' work sparked my curiosity. These real-world concerns highlight the pros and cons of AI and raise the question: "Where does the line exist?"

Overall, "Nexus" is a fascinating exploration of how information has shaped human history and the challenges we face in the age of AI. It's a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the profound impact of information technology on our world.

I enjoyed the author’s previous books, and requested this one more because I enjoyed his earlier work than for a real interest in AI. And, there was a good bit of his earlier books in this one. However, the AI discussion felt one sided and a bit light, honestly.

This book is well researched and written like the other books by the author that I have read.The subtitle is a bit misleading as the author covers more than a brief history of information networks. The most interesting part to me was how the development of Artificial Intelligence can easily go astray without the proper instructions on what to achieve. Harari spends time demonstrating how it can wrong and leaving the discussion of the positives to AI enthusiasts. Overall, interesting and thought provoking.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

I don’t really enjoy this book but you might so I say that you give it a chance. It think I didn’t like it because it wasn't the type of genre I’d typically read not because it was actually a bad book.

Thanks to the publisher for early access to this book. Harari examines the development of information networks throughout history, and then uses this lens to look at the implications of an increasingly interconnected world. I particularly appreciated that he focused on the darker side of AI and acknowledged that he’d leave the positive stuff for AI zealots. Overall an enjoyable read, thought provoking and engaging despite its heavy/heady content.

<b>Overview</b>

<i>Nexus</i> is Yuval Noah Harari's first major book in six years. The book's subtitle—<i>A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI</i>—is both overly ambitious and highly misleading. For a book ostensibly about information networks, there is no discussion of information theory—nor even a mention of Claude Shannon. Those hoping for a proper history of information should look elsewhere to a book such as James Gleick's <i>The Information</i>.

What we get instead is essentially an updated synthesis of Harari's first two books, <i>Sapiens</i> and <i>Homo Deus</i>. <i>Sapiens</i> developed the thesis that humans became the dominant species on earth not due to superior intelligence but due to our ability to create shared stories that enable us to collaborate on a far greater scale than any other species. The book's concluding chapter raised the question of just how AI would impact the future development of humanity, a discussion that was expanded in the sequel <i>Homo Deus</i>. What <i>Nexus</i> does is examine how subsequent generations of information technology, from orality and writing to the telegraph and the internet, have shaped the contours of human societies—making, breaking, and reforming the ways in which we interact with each other. This culminates in yet another discussion of the present and future of AI.

Since so much of this information is recycled from his prior books and is discussed pretty much everywhere these days, I'll restrict my analysis to the few points that I consider most notable. As it will become clear, these insights all have something in common, revealing the shortcomings of Harari's approach.

<b>Information As a Form of Currency</b>

<blockquote>Each day billions of us conduct numerous transactions with the tech giants, but one could never guess that from our bank accounts, because hardly any money is moving. We get information from the tech giants, and we pay them with information. As more transactions follow this information-for-information model, the information economy grows at the expense of the money economy, until the very concept of money becomes questionable.</blockquote>

Classical economics has a problem. By focusing almost exclusively on money and financial assets as a measure of value, it systematically discounts the importance of non-monetary exchange. More recent economic analyses of slavery and unpaid domestic work have helped to fill in some of the gaps, but of particular importance to our digital age are the economic effects of the exchange of digital information. As Harari notes, more and more transactions involve an exchange of information rather than money, and neither our economic nor our legal systems are prepared to account for or limit the excesses of informational wealth or digital bribes. Left unchecked, big tech companies can exercise <b>data colonialism</b>, defining the terms of digital existence across borders. For this reason, some scholars have even argued that <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/nations-need-ambassadors-to-big-tech/">countries should recognize big tech companies diplomatically</a> so that they may better negotiate terms for their citizens.

<b>The Problem of Definitions</b>

Harari points to the philosophical arguments between <b>deontologists</b> and <b>utilitarians</b> in order to demonstrate how difficult it is to give AI a set of instructions that would ensure it behaved as humans expect. Deontologists argue that ethical actions follow universal moral laws, while utilitarians argue that good is defined by maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain for as many people as possible. He notes how when deontologists face difficulties in defining their moral laws, they tend to break down and appeal to utilitarian arguments, while utilitarians tend to fall back on deontological arguments when they struggle to define relative happiness and suffering in quantitative terms. Harari simply ends the analysis here, suggesting that if philosophers over the ages haven't been able to reconcile these two viewpoints, then it's arrogant and unwise for the designers of AI to believe that they can solve this problem.

However, I believe that there is a common thread which explains why both models break down in the ways that they do, turning back on each other like an ouroboros. In both cases the culprit is the inability of abstract concepts to fully reflect the real world without some loss of context. Universal application of any deontological maxim will lead to disaster in some contexts, while an absolute reliance on some utilitarian calculus is ill-advised because bias is introduced both in deciding what to measure and how to calculate its value. In short, both models are tools that are more or less useful depending on the context. So what we've really discovered here is that some decisions which have a major impact on people's lives should <i>never</i> be decided purely based upon heuristics. This poses a potential challenge and limit to the authority of legal and bureaucratic systems, but most importantly for our discussion it suggests we examine the contexts in which we allow AI algorithms to make decisions for living beings without oversight. Rather than send diplomats to the likes of Amazon and Google, should we not question why we allow them to wield such power in the first place and define sane limits on autonomously made decisions?

To his credit, towards the end of the book Harari comes to terms with this, suggesting several principles of AI governance which all involve human institutions to oversee and regulate AI. However, he primarily discusses this on the level of algorithmic design and use in public institutions, not at the level of defining human rights and appropriate contexts for use in the first place. Furthermore, Harari almost never stops to question the political and economic contexts in which some usages of AI are favored over others. This leads to my final criticism of the book.

<b>Context Is Everything</b>

<blockquote>The truth is that while we can easily observe that the democratic information network is breaking down, we aren’t sure why.</blockquote>

This is a startling statement which reveals that in the midst of Harari's laser-focus on how information is propagated and manipulated, he has entirely set aside any consideration of the political and economic contexts in which the networks he studies exist. While we of course cannot provide a full explanation of <i>all</i> the factors that have contributed to our present moment, to treat it as something beyond understanding is bizarre.

Of course, a part of the answer is the way that social media fuels rage, but the more pertinent question is why does it do so in the first place? Clearly because it's wildly profitable to do so. In a time when the safeguards of democratic systems are being systematically eroded by an increasingly financialized economy, young people are worse off than their parents in most countries, rent is unaffordable in many cities, and global financial crises and a worsening climate crisis are ongoing with little response from traditional political leadership, it's little wonder that trust in institutions is at an all-time low and populist movements are taking advantage of the legitimate pain and anger felt by so many.

Harari of all people should understand that the absence of a coherent narrative is a dangerous thing since it leaves people in a state of confusion and pain that makes them easy targets for manipulation. I suspect he might argue that my previous points are "just a story" and that stories, while important, cannot be fully trusted, and that it is safer and more rational to stick with what has worked best historically—the devil we know. He is correct that caution is required, but incorrect in his refusal to recognize that the roots of many of our problems lie in the way the system functions. He clearly espouses a form of capitalist realism that is more scientism than science—otherwise, wouldn't the scientific approach be to at least run limited tests of alternative political structures and see which performed the best? Harari may have the luxury to maintain this form of reserved conservatism, but those harmed by our society's worst excesses certainly have no such luxury.

<b>Conclusion</b>

Harari has his blind spots, but he examines the nature of AI and its effects deeply enough to give the reader room to form their own interpretations and conclusions, regardless of the weaknesses of his own arguments. Overall, the book is well worth reading. For those interested in exploring the political elephant in the room, I highly recommend <i>Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism</i> by Yanis Varoufakis.

For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions, and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI—a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. For all that we have accomplished, why are we so self-destructive?

Nexus looks through the long lens of human history to consider how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age, through the canonization of the Bible, early modern witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism, and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems throughout history have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill. And he addresses the urgent choices we face as non-human intelligence threatens our very existence.

While this book was long and drawn out, enlightening and somewhat depressing, it was fascinating to think about different aspects of new technology that is taking the world by storm. Thought-provoking, inevitably controversial, but brilliant in its arguments, this will cause a lot of conversations about our responsibilities with current technologies.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Favorite Quote: But power isn’t wisdom, and after 100,000 years of discoveries, inventions, and conquests humanity has pushed itself into an existential crisis.

Synopsis: In his latest book, Yuval Noah Harari, best known for his book Sapiens, explores humanity’s ability to share information throughout history. From our prehistoric days to present day, Harari examines how the spread of good and bad information shaped our realities. Harari touches on colonialism/imperialism, propaganda, and data collection throughout history as mechanisms for controlling what people know and believe.

Why does this book beguile? I read Sapiens many years ago, and I loved the way Harari consolidated so much information into a history book. Sapiens was one of the first books that excited me about history. I’ve since read all his other books, so I was delighted to get my hands on an Advanced Reader Copy of Nexus.

Unfortunately, I found Nexus highly repetitive, extreme, and alarmist. And, for full transparency, a bit boring. Nexus contains long chapters with winding stories that try to illustrate many “what if” scenarios on extreme ends of possibility. Perhaps they are not so extreme, but the “sky is falling” tone of the book distracted me from the information conveyed.

Yuval Harari's Nexus is a powerful, thought-provoking, and important read. In it, Harari explores the history of mankind through a rather unique lens, seeing the development of civilizations as predicated on the development of data and information systems. He examines the first humans as well as ancient civilizations, the development of religions and their texts, industrialization, 20th century revolutions, and more. I have read and taught history for decades and still found "aha moments" embedded throughout the book - facts I did not know, aproaches I had never considered, and more. And that was just the first half of the book and as such, a prelude.....

The second half of Harari's Nexus is an examination of the rise, status, and future of artificial intelligence. Harari not only explains what it is and how it works as well as its strengths and weaknesses, but then goes to explore the many ways it can help, or hurt, mankind. As such, it serves not only to clarify but also to caution us about where this powerful force can take us. As such, this is a warning and wake up call we need to hear.

Although well written and clear for even the layman to follow (no need to be a computer whiz to read this book), the reader should be prepared for a rather deep read. Perhaps a warning should even be issued: Along with all the eye opening moments in the book, I found much of it to be frightening if not even downright depressing. Although he attempts to temper it at times and even says that it is not too late to control and make positive use out of AI, I did not find this to be an optimistic take on our future.

Bottom line: this is a book for anyone concerned with our future (as well as our past) to read.

An interesting and though provoking follow on from Sapiens. A solid exploration of what future of humanity will look like in an increasingly techology driven society.

Yuval Noah Harari's latest book is an eye-opening exploration of the history of human communication. Harari skillfully chronicles how our communication methods have evolved, influenced by societal changes and technological advancements. He highlights the potential and perils of artificial intelligence, offering a thought-provoking and cautionary examination. Harari urges readers to consider the implications of a future where AI could possibly overpower human control.

Occasionally I hear the term "Davos man." I do not exactly know what it is, but I do not believe it is meant as a compliment, and I think it would apply to Yuval Harari, who pops up every year or so with a Big History book that is inevitably a mile wide and an inch deep. At their worst, Harari's works can talk down to the reader. At their best, and this is most of the time, they really shine. They are kind of books people like to be seen reading, like The Economist.

Nexus is a work of artificial-intelligence doomerism that is best appreciated by those who are interested in the subject but have little to no knowledge about it. I don't know that the world needed 500 pages of hand-wringing in order to reach the author's bottom line, which is that societies should take steps to ensure that AI is and remains compatible with democracy. You wonder whether he supposed anyone would disagree.

Harari does not subscribe to "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." He is a man of Big Ideas, and he is here to correct centuries of lesser minds steering you off course. For instance, he says: "History isn't the study of the past; it is the study of change. History teaches us what remains the same, what changes, and how things change."

I am embarrassed to admit that before reading Nexus, I believed that history studied the past. In seriousness, though, I think that Harari's second sentence may well be true, but the first sentence need not logically follow. And it does not take long for Harari to seem to forget his oddball redefinition and to revert to what he well knows history is: "Since [Nexus] is a work of history, which studies the past and future development of human societies, it will focus on the definition and role of information in history." And then: "History is often shaped not by deterministic power relations, but rather by tragic mistakes that result from believing in mesmerizing but harmful stories."

So much for "the study of change," which did not seem to win over the ignoramuses at Merriam-Webster. Am I being pedantic? Knowing myself, probably, yes. But one thing that I think is reasonable to expect from academics is the acceptance of the most basic of terms. Not everything needs to be shaken up to wow the audiences at TED talks.

Later in the book, Harari turns his sights on the definition of democracy: "A democracy is not a system in which a majority of any size can decide to exterminate unpopular minorities; it is a system in which there are clear limits on the power of the center." This is pretty wrong; at the founding of the American republic, democracy was the bogeyman government that was to be avoided at all costs lest a majority tyrannize the minority. Harari likely knows this, but seeks nonetheless, for some reason that is not entirely clear, to rehabilitate democracy as an unalloyed good, and not what democracy really is. A democracy is quite capable of exterminating unpopular minorities, as the world learned from Germany in the 1930s.

Harari is open about his intention to "dedicate relatively little attention to the positive potential of algorithmic bureaucracies, because the entrepreneurs leading the AI revolution already bombard the public with enough rosy predictions about them." It is for Harari, the Big Historian, to draw the world's attention to "the more sinister potential of algorithmic pattern recognition."

Finally, someone exposes the negative aspects of artificial intelligence. Actually, this is being done almost constantly, which you may see for yourself by Googling "AI racist." Now, there is nothing wrong with deciding to write a book that is critical of AI, but the fact is that AI's bulls and bears each have plenty of air time, and Harari's suggestion to the contrary does not stand to earn him much trust with his readership.

A book following typical Yuval Noah Harari tradition. Current events around Artificial intelligence provoke a look at the information technology from the stone age and simple information recording and storage to modern information processing and distribution. Another thought provoking Grand History book by an author famous for his thought provoking ideas.

The book will also create its fair share of controversies, but that is what a good book it all about. Let's have these discussions now before we make choices we regret.