Yuval Noah Harari warns of human loss of agency due to AI

Historian Yuval Noah Harari has issued a warning regarding the potential for a "collective dementia" caused by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence. Speaking in an interview on the program Hyde Park Civilizace, Harari argues that unlike previous technologies, AI functions as an autonomous agent capable of making decisions and generating new ideas rather than just serving as a passive tool.

Harari uses a provocative comparison to illustrate the risk, stating that humans may become like cows in a modern economy. While a cow can see the person feeding it, it cannot perceive the complex financial transactions or banking systems that determine its ownership and fate. Similarly, Harari suggests that as AI begins to manage the economy, administration, and social structures, the underlying mechanisms may become invisible and incomprehensible to the average person.

The historian emphasizes that the primary danger lies not in science-fiction scenarios of rogue robots, but in the integration of AI into the core institutions of civilization, such as banks, courts, and public administrations. As these systems process data at speeds impossible for humans, the capacity for people to understand how decisions are made or who is truly in control may diminish.