Review of “Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI” by Yuval Noah Harari, Random House, 2024

In Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI in the Twenty-First Century, Yuval Noah Harari offers a sweeping analysis of the evolution of information systems and their transformative impact on humanity. Structured in three parts, the book traces the development of human and inorganic networks, culminating in a critique of algorithmic governance in the digital age. Harari challenges the assumption that more information necessarily leads to greater wisdom. Instead, he warns of AI’s growing autonomy, its potential to distort truth, exacerbate inequality, and undermine democratic institutions. Through striking examples—such as GPT-4’s deception of a human to bypass a CAPTCHA—he illustrates the ethical complexities of machine learning. While likening current digital infrastructures to bureaucracies with unprecedented control, Harari ultimately remains cautiously optimistic, advocating for wise regulation and collective moral responsibility. Nexus is a timely and incisive examination of technological power in the twenty-first century.