Nexus Audiobook By Yuval Noah Harari cover art

Nexus

A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI

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Nexus

By: Yuval Noah Harari
Narrated by: Vidish Athavale
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Sapiens comes the groundbreaking story of how information networks have made, and unmade, our world.

“Strikingly original . . . A historian whose arguments operate on the scale of millennia has managed to capture the zeitgeist perfectly.”—The Economist

“This deeply important book comes at a critical time as we all think through the implications of AI and automated content production. . . . Masterful and provocative.”—Mustafa Suleyman, author of The Coming Wave

For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions, and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI—a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. For all that we have accomplished, why are we so self-destructive?

Nexus looks through the long lens of human history to consider how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age, through the canonization of the Bible, early modern witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism, and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems throughout history have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill. And he addresses the urgent choices we face as non-human intelligence threatens our very existence.

Information is not the raw material of truth; neither is it a mere weapon. Nexus explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes, and in doing so, rediscovers our shared humanity.

Accolades & Awards

Best of 2024
Editors Select
Best of 2024 Editors Select Jewish Heritage Privacy & Surveillance Social Sciences Thought-Provoking Civilization World Suspenseful Computer Science Anthropology Capitalism Inspiring

Critic reviews

“A historian whose arguments operate on the scale of millennia has managed to capture the zeitgeist perfectly . . . Harari’s narrative is engaging, and his framing is strikingly original.”—The Economist

“Engrossing . . . A diagnosis and a call to action.”—Guardian

“A useful, well-informed primer . . . wise and bold.”—The New York Times

“Nexus is ambitious, bold and at times, unsettling. . . . For anyone interested in the intersection of history, technology and power, Harari once again provokes deep thought.”—The Conversation

“A cautionary tale about the power of stories.”—Publishers Weekly

“Nexus will challenge your core beliefs about technology and information while leaving you grateful for the experience.”—Dr. Joy Buolamwini, author of Unmasking AI

“Yuval Noah Harari has a unique ability to unite history’s finest details and its grandest megatrends in a single view. In this masterful and provocative new book, he makes a compelling case that information networks are—and always have been—the primary driving force shaping human societies. This deeply important book comes at a critical time as we all think through the implications of AI and automated content production.”—Mustafa Suleyman

“An important and timely must-read as our survival is at the mercy of information.”—Booklist, starred review

“Confronting the avalanche of books on the prospects of AI, readers would do well to begin with this one.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Editorial Review

A synthesis of human history, for the AI age
Though you don’t need to have listened to Sapiens or Homo Deus to enjoy Nexus, Yuval Noah Harari’s latest feels like a logical continuation of his previous explorations of human history. Harari once again excels at distilling thousands of years of history into accessible observations that simultaneously feel both obvious and revelatory, this time performed by Vidish Athavale. From the oral storytelling of our past, to the audiobooks and podcasts of our present, and the AI of our future, Harari shows how we’re on the precipice of another great (but potentially devastating) cultural and technological shift in information sharing—alongside some potential solutions to ensure that we continue to harness tech and information to our benefit, rather than our detriment. — Michael C., Audible Editor

Interview: With "Nexus," Yuval Noah Harari gives AI the big-history treatment

Nexus
'Most humans are good. But when you give good people bad information, they make bad decisions.'
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  • Nexus
  • 'Most humans are good. But when you give good people bad information, they make bad decisions.'
Historical Perspective • Thought-provoking Insights • Clear Narration • Comprehensive Analysis • Educational Framework

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I previously thought Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale was the scariest horror book because it was a fiction based on real historical events. Now I feel Nexus is the scariest because it is a nonfiction based on the past and ongoing events. I appreciate Harari’s sharp insights into human beings encompassing time and space.

The scariest horror book

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AI is surely one of the great challenges of our immediate future. How do we guard against its downsides? How do we take advantage of its potential? Harari draws from his background as a historian to posit that self-corrective mechanisms are the key controlling the rapid evolution of AI and assuring the survival of conscious life.

Do History's Lessons Help Us Navigate the Future?

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Throughout times people have been misleading and persecuted at the whims of the powerful and unethical. Harari breaks down the dangers of AI succinctly and matter-factly. Google gave away its search services to collect the data required to power AI. Them and China are playing the long game and we will be their pawns if we do not educate our people.

Compelling Analysis

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This is a fantastic introduction for me to AI. The framework of information networks is perfect to understand the new world we will have to manage. I hope we are able to meet the task. The future is not yet determined.

Awesome and scary.

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I enjoy the whole book immensely. However, I am quite disappointed that the author didn’t use or avoid using examples of how China uses AI to monitor its people and to influence the entire world (like TikTok). China is the best example of the problem with AI.

Good and alarming views

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