A Historical Lens on the Future of AI

“Stories brought us together. Books spread our ideas – and our mythologies. The internet promised infinite knowledge. The algorithm learned our secrets – and then turned us against each other. What will AI do?"

Happy New Year all. I find the Xmas holidays are a great time to catch up on some reading.

I am a fan of Yuval Noah Harari, author of best sellers “Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind”, and its follow-on “Homo Deus – A Brief History of Tomorrow”. I enjoy his writing because he has, as a person once noted, “an ability to unite both history’s finer details and its grandest megatrends in a single view”.

With the advent of AI and the debate around its implications, both good and bad, his latest book “Nexus - A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI” provides some fascinating perspectives, both historic and forward looking.

Recommended reading for those interested in understanding historic context as a basis for thinking about AI and the challenges and choices that may lie ahead. Enjoy.