Yuval Noah Harari, the “Israeli” historian and acclaimed author best known for his seminal book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, has given a strong warning concerning artificial intelligence (AI).
In a recent video uploaded by the Instagram feed @artificialintelligencenews.in, Harari makes a strong case that AI is more than just a tool under human control; it is an independent agent capable of making its own decisions, some of which could change the course of history, Economic Times reports.
Harari, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is well-known for his investigations of human evolution, technology, and civilization's future. His most recent warning is both a mirror of previous revolutions and a worrisome view into an uncertain future.
He draws a stark contrast between traditional tools, such as hammers or even nuclear bombs, and AI, elaborating that the former do not think for themselves — but AI can. Unlike traditional technology, which requires human input to function, AI can act independently, he contends.
Harari emphasises that AI systems are already making independent decisions in a variety of contexts, including warfare. He warns that they can even go a step further by inventing new weapons — or even creating more advanced AI systems that cannot be controlled by humans.
His concerns are consistent with issues covered in his works, particularly Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, which investigates the possibility of AI surpassing human intelligence.
In Sapiens, he investigated how Homo sapiens became the dominant species through narrative, cooperation, and technical advancement. Now he warns that we may be on the verge of developing something that will surpass us completely.
