Historian Yuval Noah Harari said artificial intelligence represents the biggest psychological and social experiment in human history during a recent interview.
This assessment highlights a shift in the AI conversation from technical capabilities to the fundamental erosion of human trust and governance. Because trust serves as the bedrock of social and economic stability, its disruption could destabilize global institutions.
In a conversation with Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist, released on Aug. 20 [3], Harari discussed the perils of the technology. He said trust is the most important asset in the world, and the biggest impact of AI may be the way it reshapes that trust [2].
Harari, whose book "Sapiens" has sold 25 million copies [1], suggested that the integration of AI into society is not merely a tool for efficiency but a transformative force. He said the technology could fundamentally alter how humans interact with information and each other.
Beyond social trust, Harari addressed the potential for AI to manage systemic financial structures. Some reports based on his views suggest the possibility of an AI-directed economy emerging within a decade [2]. While this timeline is not explicitly detailed in the full Economist interview, the prospect suggests a future where algorithmic decision-making replaces human policymakers in managing national or global economies.
Harari said the current trajectory of AI development requires urgent public awareness. He said the speed of adoption is outpacing the ability of legal and social frameworks to adapt, creating a vacuum where the technology dictates the terms of human existence.
“AI is the “biggest psychological and social experiment in human history”.”
The warnings from Harari suggest that the primary risk of AI is not necessarily the 'singularity' or robotic uprising, but the degradation of the 'social glue' that allows humans to cooperate. If AI can perfectly mimic human trust or manipulate it at scale, the existing structures of democracy and capitalism—which rely on verifiable truth and interpersonal trust—may become obsolete or uncontrollable.
