Adapting to Alien Intelligence (AI): Yuval Noah Harari on AI's Impact on Talent
Hello, friends!
I spent last week in Stockholm attending the Future Talent Summit, a global conference that brings together leading minds from the worlds of business, academia, government/policy, and HR.
The theme of the event, to the surprise of no one, was AI.
It kicked off with a fascinating keynote and discussion by historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari, who reframed “Artificial Intelligence” as “Alien Intelligence.”
Sitting down with Nicklas Berild Lundblad from Google DeepMind, Harari unpacked the opportunities and challenges AI brings to our professional lives and beyond.
AI: Our New "Alien" Neighbors
Harari didn't mince words: AI is like an alien intelligence evolving at warp speed.
Imagine life on Earth taking millions of years to evolve from amoebas to dinosaurs. Now, picture AI making similar leaps in just decades.
This lightning-fast evolution means constant reinvention and retraining will be our new normal, which can be pretty stressful.
Employees will need to stay nimble, always ready to learn - and unlearn.
Lifelong Learning: The New Superpower
In this AI-driven world, the superpower of the future isn't just technical know-how—it's the ability to keep learning, unlearning, and adapting.
Harari stressed that humans don’t need bioengineering to stay relevant.
Remember how the 20th-century workforce transformed when women entered roles as doctors, CEOs, and scientists? That was a game-changer that transformed economies and society.
We have similar untapped potential today.
Humans vs. AI: A Dynamic Duo
While AI is still growing into its potential, so are we. But AI's rise brings new challenges.
For the first time, we see non-human entities shape public opinion, which poses a significant challenge to democracy.
Dictatorships, which rely on fear, can't scare AI—so they’re stumped on how to control it.
The Relentless Pace of AI
One of AI's defining traits is its tireless nature. AI doesn’t need sleep or breaks, and it can create systems so complex that even we can’t fully understand them.
Harari urged us to resist the pressure to keep up with AI's relentless pace.
Human creativity and rest cycles are vital, and we must protect them.
A New Society with AI
As AI becomes a bigger part of our lives, we’re stepping into a society where millions of "alien" decision-makers operate.
Harari voiced concerns about AI developing financial instruments that might initially thrive but could collapse due to their complexity.
On the flip side, AI's ability to manage the flood of information we're producing could be revolutionary for science and innovation.
The Battle for Truth
In today's information age, the truth often gets overshadowed by easier-to-create fantasies and lies.
Harari highlighted the effort required to create, consume, and understand accurate information.
To build resilience, he suggested two practical steps:
Know Yourself: Engage in activities like therapy and sports to better understand your triggers and protect yourself against manipulation.
Manage Your Information Diet: Be mindful of the quality and quantity of the information you consume. Take breaks to digest and absorb it, and steer clear of "junk" information.
Looking Ahead: Thriving in an AI World
No one knows how the adoption of AI will play out over the next several years.
Harari's insights at the Future Talent Summit remind us that while AI is a powerful force, our ability to adapt, stay self-aware, and critically manage our information consumption will be crucial.
Embracing lifelong learning and maintaining our humanity, and what makes us the unique organisims that we are, will help us thrive alongside AI's alien intelligence.
The future of work is now a blended future.
We’re blending humanity with AI, not just by using tech but by integrating it into our very lives. Our challenge isn't just to keep up with AI but to harness it without losing our human touch.
The key is staying flexible, curious, and always ready to learn.
Because let’s face it - we’re all cyborgs now.