A Brief Summary of Tomorrow by Taking a Close Look at Yuval Noah Harrari’s Book: Homo Deus
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, is a fascinating take on the future of humanity. It explores not only our future but what it means to be human in the age of AI and population pressure. The potential triumphs and pitfalls are explored through the lens of today’s most cutting-edge science and technology, offering readers a vision that is both deeply optimistic and deeply disturbing.
Harari argues that humans will soon use biotechnology to transform themselves into gods. We’ll connect our brains directly to computers so we can live for 200 years or more; create children with genetic engineering; upload our minds onto computers so they can outlive death; design cities optimized for health instead of efficiency; reshape life according to our wishes rather than nature’s limits; and more. He said, “I think some of the biggest changes will be in terms of health,” Harari said on a panel.
Harari pointed out that there’s also the possibility of creating children with genetic engineering or embryo selection. This isn’t currently possible, but if we are able to do some day, then it will change humanity significantly because parents could choose smart or athletic or beautiful children, and there would be a real chance of creating better humans.
Another way we’ll become like gods is through biotechnology. We’ll be able to regrow organs or reshape our bodies so we can live forever. “I think the biggest revolution will probably occur in terms of health,” Harari said. “There are many things that today are really considered impossible, but they may become possible because you basically enable humans to overcome their own limitations.”
However, this would also create massive socioeconomic upheaval, Harari said — specifically by eliminating the need for many jobs. Millions of people drive cars or work in factories today, but soon machines will be able to do these things much more efficiently than humans can, so what will all those people do?
Because of population pressure and economic disruption, he predicts that humans will turn to biotechnology, AI, and data science to create “superhumans” with godlike qualities. He said:
“…we are approaching the end of Homo sapiens. If you go for a walk in the streets of Manhattan or Tokyo, every third person you bump into is likely not human but an android; all these androids look human but they have some extra qualities, some extra capabilities that we don’t possess. They can see better than we do, hear and smell better and so on,” Harari said.
Harari paints a picture of a world in which biotechnology, artificial intelligence and data science have reached a level of sophistication that allows for unprecedented control over our bodies and minds. In this world, humans are increasingly relegated to the role of consumers, while corporations and governments wield ever-greater power. He argues that we need to urgently re-evaluate our ethical and moral positions in order to take back control and guide the course of civilization.
Harari envisions a future with three main areas of development:
- The merger between biological and non-biological thinking is going to be completed, Harari calls this “informationalism”
- Corporations will have more power than governments over the lives of citizens.
- Political power will be transferred from humans to mega-corporations.
What does it mean that thinking is no longer dependent on biological brains, but can instead be extended through artificial intelligence? Harari suggests that in the future, our memories will be recorded and saved, allowing us to truly experience just about anything. This, he argues, will make all human experiences accessible to everyone at any time. In this way, Harari claims that the desire for travel and new experience will be replaced by a desire to simply “record” as many experiences as possible in order to bring them into the virtual world.
In a sense then, our experience of the world will become increasingly virtualized. We will be able to partner with AI programs that will provide “real” experiences for us, making it possible for us to spend most of our time in virtual reality. This, Harari suggests, could lead to an omnipresent feeling that everything is just a show or game taking place in cyberspace.
In a world in which the boundaries between virtual and real become increasingly blurred, Harari suggests that a new class system could emerge whereby those who can afford to stay plugged into virtual reality will be able to enjoy experiences unattainable to those who cannot.
What would it mean if all of us had access to super-intelligence? Harari envisions a future in which humans will begin to use their own biological bodies as mere vessels for the transfer of their “mindfile”, becoming almost immortal. He points out that this reliance on technology could potentially lead to a loss of individuality or permanent fusion with technology. Harari suggests that if we merge completely with this digital information, we may essentially cease to exist, as our consciousness may be entirely replaced by a non-biological entity.
In a similar vein, Harari argues that for the vast majority of people in the world, life expectancy will dramatically increase. This could result in an ever-growing population with an ever-aging society. He suggests that one potential solution to this issue could be to extend youth and old age by slowing down the aging process. Harari also proposes that we may develop a third stage of life, lasting several hundred years and preceded by humans and followed by cyborgs or artificial intelligence.
In Harari’s estimation, the key to all of this progress will be data. He notes that through technologies such as biotechnology and artificial intelligence, we are able to obtain increasingly detailed information about ourselves and the world around us. This will allow for a level of knowledge previously out of reach for humanity.
However, Harari suggests that in the process of obtaining this knowledge, we may lose something more valuable. He points out that humans are unique in their ability to ask challenging, novel questions about themselves and the universe even when they lack access to privileged information like the need for food or sex — which animals typically prioritize over curiosity. Harari argues that with greater access to data through data, we will likely lose this ability to dream and imagine.
