Harari: AI is first non-human agent, disruption faster than previous revolutions
AryHHAry · x · 2026-08-15
Historian Yuval Noah Harari stated in a video that we don't know if AI's impact will be positive or negative, but disruption is certain and will happen much faster than in previous generations. He emphasized the importance of understanding the magnitude of change rather than panicking. Harari noted that every previous revolution (agriculture, industry, steam engine, atomic bomb) gave humans more power, with humans deciding how to use it. AI is different: it is an agent, not just a tool, capable of making its own decisions and generating new ideas. For the first time in history, power and control are shifting from humans to something non-human. He also cited a study by Tang et al. (2020) in the Journal of Informetrics measuring the extreme speed of AI innovation.
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