Contents
Worldwide well-known historian, philosopher and academic Noah Harari’s new book “Nexus” hit the shelves on September 10. The title of this book has a very interesting meaning. With this word, which means network, point of contact or connection point in English, the author implies the intersection or point of contact between “artificial intelligence” and “information network“. In this book, which is based on the subject of information networks, these words are very meaningful for Harari and Nexus. It is no surprise that their books have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than 60 languages.
In the author’s book, which starts with Sapiens and examines human history from a very different perspective, we understood that human beings, unlike other living things, have become the bosses of the world thanks to their imagination. Later, with Homo Deus, we thought about how humans could become immortal and semi-robot creatures in the future thanks to biotechnology. Finally, Yuval Noah shed light on today’s problems with his work titled 21 Lessons for the 21st Century.
In this new book, he builds a bridge by questioning the concept of knowledge with the artificial intelligence of the future from today. In our language, information means unverified information. On the other hand, the professor, who criticizes the importance given to all kinds of information by Silicon Valley experts and technology enthusiasts, criticizes the fact that even “junk” information is valued under the name of “data” today.
According to him, what is important is not knowledge but “truth”. So, truth is a much more costly and verified version of information. When we understand the difference between these two concepts, we will also be able to correctly position the turning points in human history and future artificial intelligence revolution. (like OpenAI)
Harari and the Nexus Book Subject
This book, which is approximately 530 pages long, is titled “Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI”, although it contains traces of the works of Sapiens and Homo Deus, it has a slightly different perspective than them. According to him, the information network or contact point called nexus was the writing written on tablets with language and mud in the prehistoric era, then it became books with the printing press, and today, with the power of electronic communication, it has turned into the information mass we call big data with the artificial intelligence revolution.
In this context, it should be noted that; information nexuses, or networks, form the basis of humanity and states and forms of government. At this point, the author insists on the principle: “Data or information alone does not always mean the truth.” According to him, what scientific revolutions achieve are not always correct or real principles. In fact, the examples he gives are very interesting in this regard.
In other words, if you ask whether Copernicus’s mathematics book or his witch hunting book sold more or attracted more attention in the old days, you will understand that people were not after correct information but after “junk information”. At that time, people really had a very high tendency towards “dirty information”, just like today.
The increase in “junk information” also causes people to be misled not by the truth but only by big data and unverified information. It is possible to compare this to the example of using a knife to save a life during surgery or to commit murder. In this sense, it is also dangerous for artificial intelligence that feeds entirely on unverified or junk information to invade society.
Is Excitement Good?
This is the most important conclusion we need to draw from Harari and the Nexus book. After all, if we consider that artificial intelligence and algorithms feed on data and information, and that this information is mostly garbage or unverified information, the point that artificial intelligence will reach is risky.
According to him, the concept of excitement is relative. In other words, at this speed of data and technology, we no longer need excitement, but a little calmer. Professor Noah also seeks an answer to the question of “How can humans, the most intelligent creature in the world, come so close to destroying themselves?” in his book.
After all, humanity, which has made so many inventions and discoveries, is about to destroy both nature and its own future, especially with the climate crisis and nuclear threats. Is the underlying cause of this dilemma our problems in accessing accurate information?
The book, which criticizes the point humanity has reached, emphasizes that democracy is still the most important and beneficial form of government. At the same time, it emphasizes that “accurate” information lies at the foundation of democracy. It emphasizes that democracy, just like artificial intelligence, needs verified information. Here is another nexus, or point of contact. Harari and his book Nexus are already connected to many points of contact or nodes. According to him, the essence of democracies is a nexus based on correct information, while the basis of single-centred dictatorships is a single nexus based on dirty information.
Nexus and Information Networks
According to him, just as more food or ready-made food does more harm than good to the human body, it is a fact that too much “garbage” or “junk” information is also harmful. Here, it is obvious that we need an information diet for the well-being of our minds, just as we do a food diet for our bodies. Additionally, algorithms work differently from the organic nature of humans. In other words, they do not have ups and downs like humans do. So, algorithms do not rest, and if we want to cope with the new generation technological world based on algorithms, we must learn to manage it.
After all, if you have read the author’s other books, the style of this new book will not seem unfamiliar to you. However, Harari and Nexus struggle for a new perspective based on artificial intelligence and accurate information. Everyone mentions the benefits of technology and especially generative artificial intelligence, but as a historian, he feels the need to mention its potential harms. In this context, he clearly states what kind of disasters the world will face if this power falls into the hands of a dictator or a murderer.
On the other hand, Professor Noah, who states that despite all this progress, “dialogue” and “communication” between people is gradually decreasing, draws attention to the serious division between Republicans and Democrats, Trump supporters and Harris supporters, even in the USA. According to him, this problem will not be overcome with technology, but with accurate information and accurate communication. As a result, artificial intelligence as an information network, that is, nexus, emerges as a communication and technology tool that can make decisions on its own for the first time in history.
Final Message of Harari
In this context, authority and power as we know them are being taken from people for the first time in history and transferred to technology.
The navigation example is generally very famous here. In other words, while we used to decide where to go when we left home, we now leave the decision to the navigation device. Just think about how the technology of the future will seize authority and power. Here, the importance of correct information and information networks becomes even more evident.
Finally, if we briefly summarize the subject of Harari and Nexus book;
- The book insists that not every information is necessarily correct by placing correct and verified information at its core.
- It also states that more information does not necessarily mean something good, and that people sometimes need to relax, not get excited.
- It is stated that the artificial intelligence revolution is a very important information network turning point, namely the nexus, and that if this turning point is not managed well, it can mean disaster for humanity in the future.
- Generative AI and the power that holds the correct information will shape the future of both the world and humanity.
