[DECODED] AI as ‘alien intelligence’

Last week, I finally secured a copy of Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari. I was casually browsing at a bookstore when I spotted it on the second-highest shelf of the bestseller section. I’ve been trying to get my own physical copy since last year, so I naturally dropped the other book in my arms that day and picked up Nexus instead.

Harari argued in the book that information networks shape human history. According to him, our information networks are created not necessarily to reflect truth and reality, but to primarily create social order and connectivity. He also said that it is through these information networks that humans have established and maintained power throughout history.

Over the years of studying social media behavior and patterns here at The Nerve, we’ve seen information networks similar to what Harari describes. We’ve written about social media networks that spread anti-immigrant narratives, attack politicians, and promote pro-China propaganda, to name a few. These are information networks where speed, scale, and repetition matter more than the truth.

Last month, our head of data, Don Kevin Hapal, wrote an in-depth story on China’s online influence operations in the Philippines. He described how a coordinated troll army, made up of supposed teachers, delivery riders, and other everyday workers, was mobilized to manipulate public discourse at scale using social media. This was an example of an information network designed to manufacture consensus, echoing exactly the kind of systems Harari warns about.

In Nexus, Harari also called AI “alien intelligence” because its ways of creating information are fundamentally different from human thinking, sometimes far too complex that human minds may not be able to fully understand or anticipate. Harari argued that AI is the first technology in history that can make decisions and create new ideas by itself (see: hallucinations), therefore making it an agent rather than a mere tool.

Before 2025 ended, our tech journalist, Victor Barreiro Jr., wrote a roundup of the ways people used generative AI last year, ranging from meme-making and political propaganda to emotional support. This appears to carry on to this year, as OpenAI announced ChatGPT Health just last week.

I haven’t finished Nexus yet, and I’ll probably have more thoughts once I do. But these two concepts so far make a lot of sense in light of what we’ve seen and studied over time.

How about you, what’s the first thing on your reading list this year? – Rappler.com

The Nerve is a data forensics company that enables changemakers to navigate real-world trends and issues through narrative and network investigations. Taking the best of human and machine, we enable partners to unlock powerful insights that shape informed decisions. Composed of a team of data scientists, strategists, award-winning storytellers, and designers, the company is on a mission to deliver data with real-world impact.