‘Humanity’s key challenges: War, ecological collapse and tech disruption’

Yuval Noah Harari, best-selling author of Sapiens, discusses AI, future threats and nationalism, at the Penguin annual lecture in Mumbai.

“Many jobs, if not all, may disappear by 2050,” said historian and bestselling Israeli author Yuval Noah Harari, delivering the 12th Penguin annual lecture in the city on Sunday. His talk explored the new challenges facing the 21st century.

’Famine was humanity’s greatest enemy... today, more people die due to terminal illness like cancer,’ Harari said. (Satyabrata Tripathy / HT Photo)

Harari, the author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, and, more recently, of 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, on Sunday, spoke on topics ranging from technology to war and the power of the human brain.

Hundreds turned up for the lecture, held at a suburban hotel. “Famine was humanity’s greatest enemy... today, more people die due to terminal illness like cancer,” Harari said.

The three main challenges of the 21st century, he added, are the return of war, ecological collapse and technological disruption. “Technology is now upgrading human beings into gods using artificial intelligence. But we still don’t have enough knowledge of the human body or brain to completely rely on AI to be able to trust the artificially created species,” he said.

So what will 2050 look like? Our best bet, Harari said, is to focus on emotional intelligence and mental resilience, especially for the younger people. “That’s the education newer generations need to prepare for the future.”