Yuval Noah Harari’s dire warning about artificial intelligence: ‘The consequences could be catastrophic’

There were a lot of people who enjoyed it Sapiens (2011), the book of Israeli author Yuval Noah Harari which summarizes the history of humanity and how we have evolved over time and through our own inventions. However, One chapter that the historian left open is that of the Artificial intelligence (IA) .

“Let’s ask scientists why they study the genome or try to connect a brain to a computer, or try to create a mind inside a computer (…) Although the implications of creating a mind inside a computer are far more dramatic than treating psychiatric illnesses, this is the typical justification given because no one can dispute it. we read in an excerpt from the book.

At that time, the author had anticipated the danger that disproportionate advances in technology and AI could represent, but, What exactly do you think about it today, more than ten years after you published a glimpse of what might happen to us in the future?

In conversation with the media The avant-garde Yuval Noah Harari assured that If humans mishandle AI, it could eventually eliminate human dominance on Earth.

“AI masters language better than anyone else. What happens when I can create sacred texts?” he wondered.

The famous Israeli author recently published Link (Debate / Editions 62), where tells the story of the evolution of humanity from the Stone Age to the dizzying advance of Artificial Intelligence which can challenge humans, because it is intelligent enough to resemble us.

“We have created a new intelligence that is potentially more powerful and intelligent than us. And if this gets out of our control, the consequences could be catastrophic.” the author begins to say to The Avant-garde.

And it’s not because AI is inherently bad, “But it’s extremely powerful and it doesn’t care about us, or other organic entities. “It could do to us what we’ve done to so many organisms, to so many animals.”

Although this is a very bleak scenario, the Israeli said that with AI it is easy to imagine dangerous scenarios, such as “a dictator who gives AI control of nuclear weapons and because of a miscalculation there is a catastrophe” or “Terrorists create a new deadly virus thanks to AI.

But What the author fears most is that AI could also think for itself and cease to be a tool for humans. “We are releasing millions of new autonomous agents that could become smarter than us and “We can neither anticipate nor control what they will do.”

Humans have equipped AI with their most powerful weapon: the language.

“In civilization, in human culture, the key to almost everything we have created is ultimately language. “That’s the key to politics: to persuade people. That’s the key to art. About religion,” the writer said.

Until now, humans were the only ones who understood finances, symbols and words. “No other animal knew that there was money, gods or nations, because you need language to deal with these things.”

“And AI now masters language better than most in many ways. It already creates texts, images and videos, and it is still very primitive. What will happen when you can create convincing political manifestos, new financial devices, new holy books? For thousands of years, humans have lived wrapped in the cultural cocoon created by other humans. Now, more and more things will be created by non-human intelligence.

According to the author, this could affect society through fake news, outrageous conspiracy theories and also democracies.

“Americans have the most sophisticated information technology in history, but They are losing the ability to talk and listen to each other. It is suspected that this technology, instead of facilitating communication, makes it difficult. Because there are many non-human voices. “Democracy is a conversation and it should take place between humans.”

In this sense, the Israeli believes that we are in a time of humanity where it is difficult to find solutions together, because “People cannot agree on almost everything, not even the most basic facts, listen to each other, have a reasoned debate.”

And now that democracy is “built” on information technologies – like the media, which are partly affected by AI –, “Any major revolution in their country is bound to create a democratic shock.”

SO, How can we save the world from the danger of AI?

“We have to realize that we are always in control. It is the responsibility of governments to regulate it (Artificial Intelligence). For thousands of years they have banned counterfeit money and now they must ban the creation of fake humans, robots and algorithms that pretend to be humans and spread stories. An AI should never impersonate a human being.

The new book by the thinker Yuval Noah Harari, entitled Linkwill be available in Chile, in Penguin Books from September 12, 2024 .

Synopsis: “Amid misinformation and confusion, we are on the brink of ecological collapse and heading into the age of artificial intelligence. Why are we such a self-destructive species?” In his purest style, grounded in revealing historical examples, he offers an extremely useful framework for understanding the complex relationships between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. Information is not the active principle of truth; nor is it a mere weapon. “Nexus explores the hopeful middle ground between the two extremes.”