In the final days of the Year of the Monkey, I devoted myself to reading Yuval Noah Harari's "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow." The book is packed with information, and although I wrote 15,000 words of notes, many still find it challenging to grasp the essence of the book. Therefore, I decided to write an independent article from my perspective, as a tribute to the book and to reorganize my thoughts. This is the essence and value of sharing. I welcome discussions and corrections in the comments if my understanding is flawed. After reading this article, you may revisit my complete reading notes of "Homo Deus."
The core message of "Homo Deus" is to envision what the future might hold so that we can prepare, not just for ourselves but for future generations. Although the book doesn’t explicitly instruct how to upgrade ourselves, passivity, ignorance, and disregard are certainly not the way forward.
The book portrays a future dominated by artificial intelligence and "god-like humans" - superhumans enhanced through biotechnology and AI integration. These entities will co-rule with "ubiquitous, self-evolving, self-upgrading AI systems."
To better understand humanity's future, we need to examine our past and present through the lens of contemporary science. This involves rethinking the essence of life, the meaning of existence, the nature of consciousness and free will, and the implications of religion, ethics, AI, and big data on our quality of life. The book is interdisciplinary and transcends time.
According to the book, the mere 1.5% variation in our DNA from apes has led to our dominance over Earth. However, this has come at the cost of individual strength in favor of collective power. Most people in the future might become a "useless class," as robots and AI, combined with the internet of things and big data, could take over 99% of economic and military activities, leaving only 1% of elites truly valuable.
This AI system could manifest as myriad independent robots or as an intangible network of intelligent algorithms. They will share a global super-brain (computational resources) and a comprehensive data network (memory storage). Once formed, this network will be indestructible and more powerful and stable than any human network, adaptable even to harsh outer space environments.
Our decisions will increasingly rely on AI and big data. Even if the final decision lies with us, it's likely preordained by “behavioral design” and other technologies. The act of pressing a decision button is just an illusion of control. Our perceived independent consciousness and free will are manipulated by external events tailored to our desires, preferences, and personality traits.
While 99% may become the "useless class," we needn't worry excessively. Each era and species have mechanisms that make them content with their existence, without longing for epochal or evolutionary leaps. We might not want to trade our current sensory capabilities for unknown computational and connectivity abilities. Things are fine as they are; no changes are necessary.
The future's "useless class" might end up being dependents in a society sustained by robots, AI, and a few elites, existing merely to "check-in" alive. The author doesn't explicitly state this, nor does he explain how to become part of the 1% elite. Regardless of our efforts, only 1% might end up being valuable.
However, the prospect of the useless class being annihilated by robots isn’t necessarily bleak. Robots, evolving rapidly in intelligence but devoid of consciousness and emotion, are indifferent to the existence of this class. Unless the useless class impedes their objectives, their elimination is meaningless to robots. Every species, including machines, seeks a purpose, and even if we never find the ultimate answer, the quest for it is essential.
Interestingly, experiments with split-brain patients have revealed that the left brain rationalizes decisions and actions even when it wasn’t involved in the decision-making process. This suggests that our brains are survival engines, not detectors of truth. Our understanding of life’s meaning might be nothing more than rationalizations by the left brain. Perhaps the meaning of life is to seek its meaning.
If the useless class becomes a hindrance to AI, it could subtly influence human reproduction patterns, leading to a gradual decline in population over centuries, without bloodshed or war. This "choice" would be an illusion of free will, influenced by manipulable perceptions and sensations.
Even if we glimpse the truth, we might choose to be numb to it, finding comfort in rationalizations and living happily without the desire or ability to reproduce. Our contentment could be easily bought, like in a supermarket or through technology akin to the scenarios in the film "Inception."
If Harari’s vision of the future is accurate, it might seem terrifying from today's perspective. But are we truly free and uncontrolled now? Do we understand the true meaning of life and happiness? We’ve always lived within the confines of meanings fabricated by our predecessors. Whether religious or humanistic, these beliefs are grounded in the whims and desires of past generations. Religious doctrines and ethical guidelines, influenced by imagined divine wills, are deeply rooted in our culture and difficult to change. This resistance to change is evident in our conflicting views with our parents and societal norms on various issues like same-sex marriage, marriage customs, and traditional beliefs.
Freud's concept of the "id," "ego," and "superego" in our psyche is an interesting lens to view this through. The "id" represents our basic physical desires, the "ego" our conscious self, and the "superego" the expectations of our parents and society, including religious and cultural norms. Our actions and decisions are often influenced by a concocted authority figure in our minds, which can lead to misguided actions if our societal perceptions are skewed.
The book suggests that life's purpose and the nature of happiness are ultimately chemical reactions in the brain. If this is true, then life is a series of these reactions, and our individual experiences and actions trigger reactions in others. Organic and silicon-based algorithms are fundamentally similar, and the book proposes a future where these merge to create a new life form, the "god-like humans" or superhumans, accessible only to an elite 1%.
In the face of this foreboding future, the author advises us to engage deeply with the book's original text and seek our own understanding. We should focus our limited attention on meaningful and fulfilling endeavors, as time and our cognitive resources are precious. The pursuit of progress and evolution in our understanding is crucial, as the future is unpredictable and already unfolding.
The author also reassures that being part of the "useless class" isn't as dreadful as it might sound. Just as our DNA contains large portions of non-coding "junk" DNA, the so-called useless might have undiscovered roles and significance. Nature’s selection ensures that truly redundant elements are phased out. The universe operates on the principle of least action, meaning that all physical phenomena occur in the most efficient manner possible.
In summary, all existence has meaning, and our inability to discern it doesn't render it meaningless. The future is uncertain, and our understanding of it continues to evolve. This book invites us to question, learn, and adapt to whatever the future may hold, maintaining a sense of purpose and curiosity about our place in the universe.