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.