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1. Like everything else, AI exists in context
   Harari is an extremely lucid author who excels at distilling the complex into the simple. As in all his books, he seamlessly takes the reader from the distant past to the present to the future. In this case his subject is information and the networks we use to manage and disseminate it. As such it is, but isn’t, a book about AI. “My goal with this book is to provide a more accurate historical perspective on the AI revolution.”In many ways, it is a book about politics, although the author never names names or talks in terms of blue and red. And his canvas is global and spans history. He does, however, talk about democracy, populism, totalitarianism, and such, terms that are being bandied about a lot in the US this election year. And that, I suspect, is why the reviews of the book vary so widely. We are a polarized nation and want to inject politics into just about everything.Harari, however, is not a politician or political commentator. He is an historian who, of course, has not defined that history. His job is to spot the patterns. And in this case the pattern has a political implication. “Democracy and dictatorship are typically discussed as contrasting political and ethical systems. This chapter seeks to shift the terms of the discussion, by surveying the history of democracy and dictatorship as contrasting types of information networks.”Which ultimately, of course, brings us to AI. The author correctly notes that AI is different from all prior information networks (e.g., printing, the telegraph, the Internet, the pre-modern church, etc.) in that it is the first network capable of acting independently of humans. And, as a result, it deserves special consideration, both for its opportunity and its menace.Adding a bit of gravity and urgency to the matter, Harari notes: “The main argument of this book is that humankind gains enormous power by building large networks of cooperation, but the way these networks are built predisposes us to use that power unwisely. Our problem, therefore, is a network problem.”Harari, among many other prominent voices, as a result, argues that we must manage the future application of AI. I agree. Our tech leaders, unfortunately, have shown themselves to be as independent of oversight as AI itself. And given the enormous amounts of capital that AI will undoubtedly unleash, my personal fear is that Silicon Valley, at Wall Street’s urging, will unleash AI before there is any public consensus on its application. After all, that is what they have done at every step of the digital revolution. They routinely release powerful new products that must almost immediately be updated to fix flaws and security oversights in their design. The earliest pioneers of the internet, as but one example, now readily admit that they did not foresee the degree to which it could be abused by malevolent actors. With AI, however, we may not get the chance to address the problems in retrospect.As part of its mission, the book also offers a plethora of insights into several important underlying currents of thought and conviction important to current culture. Some of my favorite quotes:“But power isn’t wisdom…”“The naïve view [of information] thinks that disagreements about values turn out on closer inspection to be the fault of either the lack of information or deliberate disinformation.”“History isn’t the study of the past; it is the study of change.”“However, democracy doesn’t mean majority rule; rather, it means freedom and equality for all.”“It is particularly crucial to remember that elections are not a method for discovering truth. Rather, they are a method for maintaining order by adjudicating between people’s conflicting desires.”“…information isn’t truth.”In the end, I believe it is an author’s job, with few exceptions, not to tell us what to believe, but to make us think. And with this book, in addition to his many others, this author has done just that. I do believe, therefore, that this book is worth every reader’s time. You won’t agree with everything he says. I didn’t, either. And it is true that the higher you take the camera the simpler the landscape looks, to the point of causing you to make erroneous conclusions about what you see. Not all patterns have meaning. Sometimes they are just patterns.

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2. Information flow: Its history, present & future uses and misuses by all not just a few
   Entertaining and refreshingly even sided coverage of the history, present and anticipated future uses and abuses of information as a means to power, progress, or destruction Harari besides thoughtfully brilliant and credible in its predictions/extrapolations for the future of information is courageous enough to be honest about the past and present of information control, albeit diplomatic with the status quo, of course, since he has ambitions to influence it. Harari doesn’t shy away from a comprehensive review about who has been controlling information and who wants to controls Information versus those in favor of open information flows. So when we first start reading “Nexus” we roll our eyes about he seemingly pointing only to the usual contemporary suspects on the right with the usual simplified rethoric about them, only to be regained to a balanced conversation when he admits that controlling information as a means to power is much older and comes from the left and marxism. Hence, Instead of a fairy tale for children of good left guys and galls always accurate and trustful and bad ones always lying that simpler less sophisticated minds in mainstream try to persuade us of, with Harari we get an adult centrist view and reflection about the nuances and both positive as well as negative view information on all sides We leave the book much more educated and aware of all that surrounds us in terms of information networks and their potential for good and bad. The same is true for Harari’s view on Artificial Intelligence intertwined with information. Never childly, neither too optimistic nor too fearful he presents a realistic and credible view of how AI is going to occupy its space and mingle with us. Great reading.

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3. great book but beware that the audio add on is text (computer) generated only
   Nexus is a typical Harrari thought provoking book outlining the pros and dangers of networks. It is an antidote for those who are on the extreme ends of the pessimism or optimism spectrum. Humans coordinate vast projects (good and bad) via network effects. Excellent presentation. I have no idea how someone raised speaking Hebrew learned such superb English. Oh, on the audio — very disappointing. You will need to go to audible.com to get the human version.

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4. Thought Provoking
   I really liked this book because it showed a way to understand how “information”, “truth”, and “AI” apply to politics in a way that I had not thought of before. I had always thought of information as having more or less truth, with more truth as a goal. I had always thought the fear of AI was overblown based on science fiction hysteria. AI was just another tool in the computer science playbook.The book has two parts. The first part discusses what “information” is. It not always an attempt to represent reality or “truth”. (Although it can be in special situations, and with much effort). Information is connections between humans that can bind them together or control them.The second part discusses AI and shows why it is not just another Comp-Sci tool. AI will change our politics and government in many ways. For each danger he brings up, the author also describes the benefits of the same technology. One simple example of a larger point: If you are denied a loan or job by a human bureaucrat you can ask “Why?”. If some computer tool does the denying you can not ask (or could not really even understand) the reason. The upside is that these judgements are often more accurate than those made by humans.The method of explanation starts with a historical / philosophical discussion followed by many examples. The author is very good at this. The writing is a pleasure to read.

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5. An amazing blend of history, fact, and predictions for the future.
   Not much to dislike but how this writer could shed any of his background skin and present a story line so smooth, so neutral, so natural it made me wish I did not have to come to the end. The author has a talent to comprise a factual historical storyline blending all the right motes within its pages. I am not sure where he can go from here but it would be interesting to see.

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6. This is a must read and will be recommended to all my family and friends. We live in challenging times that impact our present and future humanity. Hopefully this book will provide the knowledge and learning needed for our generations to survive the turbulence.

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7. Aun no he terminado de leerlo.

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8. Ordered this as a gift. The „normal“ Amazon sticker came right off, but the yellow barcode sticker was almost impossible to remove. I managed to remove it almost perfectly with rubbing alcohol, but some scratches remain visible. Didn’t have time to return it, so I gifted it as is…. But it’s disappointing. Would have liked to give this feedback directly to the reseller (Amazon in this case), but unfortunately there was no option to just „report“ this, if I don’t return the item.In case you are looking for a review of the actual book and are still reading this: I think it’s great. Otherwise I would not gift it…. 😊

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9. Incredible insights into the role of information in helping form the human networks which have shaped our existence and which are now threatened by unbridled AI – a wake up call for ensuring responsibility in AI development and deployment.

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10. Harari es un pensador e historiador fundamental de nuestra época.

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