AI will create digital vassal states | Yuval Noah Harari

Artificial intelligence represents a transformative shift that threatens to outpace human control, necessitating urgent political intervention. Unlike static tools, AI learns and evolves, potentially creating new mathematical and financial systems beyond human comprehension. This autonomy risks destabilizing democracy, particularly as propaganda shifts from mass attention to mass intimacy, allowing AI to manipulate individuals through personalized, deceptive relationships. To mitigate these existential risks, societies must reject the narrative that AI development is inevitable. Instead, governments should implement robust safeguards, such as banning AI legal personhood and enforcing corporate liability for algorithmic content. While the technology promises abundance, it also risks creating a world where the majority of humanity becomes economically irrelevant, making the preservation of truth and trust through institutional regulation essential for maintaining democratic integrity.