Three prominent global thinkers—historian Yuval Noah Harari, journalist Maria Ressa, and academic Rory Stewart—convened to discuss the pressing challenges facing the world. Their conversation explored the erosion of democratic values, the profound impact of artificial intelligence, and the strategies for navigating an increasingly complex future.
Key Takeaways
- Liberal democracy is under threat from authoritarian populism and the decline of a rules-based international order.
- Advanced technologies like AI pose unprecedented risks, including the ability to manipulate human thought and the potential to diminish human value.
- The global information ecosystem is corrupted, leading to a crisis in journalism and making it difficult to establish a shared reality based on facts.
- Modern political leadership is increasingly characterized by a rejection of traditional norms, with some leaders adopting a style reminiscent of medieval monarchs.
- Rebuilding trust in institutions and taking individual responsibility are crucial steps to address these interconnected global crises.
The Fraying of Liberal Democracy
For decades, liberal democracy was seen by many as the natural endpoint for human societies. However, this consensus is now fracturing. According to Yuval Noah Harari, a key achievement of liberalism was enabling people with different views on life to coexist under a shared set of rules.
The primary challenge, he noted, has always come from ideologies that seek to impose a single version of a "good life" on everyone. This historical pattern is re-emerging with new intensity in the modern world.
The Post-War Order
The framework for modern liberalism was solidified after the Second World War, emphasizing a rules-based international order, free trade, and democratic principles like tolerance and human rights. This model appeared to be gaining global acceptance until the mid-2000s.
Rory Stewart, a former UK politician, observed that this model has entered a "shadow form." He pointed to the global shift away from its core tenets.
"Instead of focusing on democracy, we’re in a world dominated by authoritarian populism," Stewart explained. "Instead of a world of free trade, we’re in one that’s increasingly about protection and tariffs."
This shift has replaced a collaborative international system with one where powerful nations act unilaterally, a reality Stewart summarized with the phrase, "the strong do what they can, the weak must suffer what they must."
Technology's Role in a Fragmented World
The rise of advanced technology, particularly artificial intelligence, adds a powerful and unpredictable element to these global shifts. Maria Ressa, a Nobel Prize-winning journalist, expressed deep concern over the role of technology in undermining societal cohesion.
"How do you live a good life when big tech is using surveillance for profit, to manipulate us in order to keep making more money?" Ressa asked. "Now we’re individually targeted by technology that can go to the cellular level of every democracy."
Harari expanded on this, stating that technology now allows for the "hacking" of human beings. He argued that corporations and governments can now decipher and manipulate human desires on a scale previously impossible, a threat that 19th-century liberal democracy was not designed to handle.
The Risk of Superhuman AI
Beyond manipulation, Stewart highlighted the existential risk that artificial general intelligence (AGI) could pose to the concept of human value. He noted that civilization has often been defined by human exceptionalism in art, science, and philosophy.
"The risk of artificial general intelligence is that suddenly it is quite literally superhuman," Stewart said. If AI can effortlessly surpass human creativity, he warned, "suddenly we are diminished."
Intelligence vs. Goodness
Yuval Noah Harari pointed out a critical flaw in the pursuit of superintelligence: intelligence does not guarantee goodness or wisdom. He described Homo sapiens as both the most intelligent and the most deluded species on Earth, capable of believing nonsense. He suggested there is every reason to believe a superintelligent AI could also be "super deluded."
Ressa also stressed that current AI systems are not 100% accurate, yet they are being deployed in ways that exploit public trust in written information. "Because we’ve grown up with integrity of information, it’s much easier to fool us," she stated.
Economic Pressures and Rising Conflict
While discussions often center on high-tech futures, Rory Stewart urged a focus on the more immediate economic and geopolitical realities for the next 20 years. He reminded the audience that a significant portion of the global population lives in extreme poverty.
- Hundreds of millions will live on incomes under $2 a day.
- Billions will live on under $5 a day.
Stewart also pointed to a dangerous shift in modern conflict, where technologically advanced nations can inflict immense damage with little risk to themselves. This is fueling a global arms race, with European nations projected to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.
"That will literally suck hundreds of billions of euros every year out of our health systems, our education systems, our welfare systems, at exactly the moment that our economies are flatlining and our populations are getting older," he warned.
Maria Ressa offered an even more pessimistic timeline, particularly regarding the climate crisis and the stability of the information ecosystem. "The Philippines gets an average of 20 typhoons every year. We’re watching islands sink, and yet the west is debating whether climate change even exists," she said.
The Crisis of Truth and Leadership
A central theme of the discussion was the breakdown of truth and the rise of a new type of political leader. Ressa declared that the "death of journalism is around the corner within six months to a year," citing the predatory nature of the online world and the exploitation of news content by tech platforms.
She advocated for journalists to adopt a "truth sandwich" approach to reporting—stating a fact, reporting a lie, and then restating the fact—to avoid amplifying misinformation. "We can no longer stand behind ‘he said, she said’. Now we actually have to pull up and say, ‘This guy is lying.’"
The Return of Monarchical Politics
Harari identified a troubling trend in modern leadership, describing it as a re-emergence of "monarchist ideas." He argued that leaders like Donald Trump operate outside of ideology, viewing politics as personal interactions between powerful individuals rather than relationships between states.
"When people told him that Putin had broken previous agreements, Trump said, ‘Well, he broke an agreement with Biden, he broke an agreement with Obama, not with me.’ The implication is, the agreement is not between Russia and the US, the agreement is between two people," Harari explained.
Stewart added that this new style of leadership is defined by its "shamelessness" and open contempt for truth, constitutions, and minorities. He expressed concern that the public has become desensitized, treating politics as a spectacle rather than a matter of serious governance.
A Path Forward
Despite the grim outlook, the speakers offered thoughts on how to move forward. Harari, who described his previous work as being "in the business of anxiety," said the new project must be to rebuild trust in human institutions.
Ressa outlined her organization's efforts to build new technology platforms anchored in communities, aiming to create a healthier global information ecosystem. "We look back at our history, and regardless of all of the problems of democracies, we still haven’t found a better system than this," she affirmed.
Ultimately, Harari concluded that waiting for reality to correct the course of societies supporting illogical policies is a flawed strategy. He emphasized the need for individual action.
"If you want the truth, and you want reality to win, each of us has to do some of the hard work ourselves," he urged. "Choose one thing and focus on that and hope that other people will also do their share. That way we avoid the extremes of despair."