At the World Economic Forum 2026, renowned historian Yuval Noah Harari delivered a stark warning about artificial intelligence that challenges humanity’s self-conception and religious foundations. The bestselling author of “Sapiens,” whose works have sold over 50 million copies worldwide, argued that AI represents not merely a technological tool but a fundamental shift in human civilization.
Harari’s central thesis revolves around a critical distinction: AI is not a passive instrument but an active agent capable of learning, changing, and making decisions independently. “A knife is a tool. You can use a knife to cut salad or to murder someone, but it is your decision what to do with the knife,” Harari explained. “AI is a knife that can decide by itself whether to cut salad or to commit murder.”
The historian’s most provocative claim concerns AI’s mastery of language and its implications for word-based institutions. “Anything made of words will be taken over by AI,” he stated. “If laws are made of words, then AI will take over the legal system. If books are just combinations of words, then AI will take over books. If religion is built from words, then AI will take over religion.”
This warning holds particular significance for book-based religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Harari noted that Judaism calls itself “the religion of the book” and grants ultimate authority to words in sacred texts. “What happens to a religion of the book when the greatest expert on the holy book is an AI?” he asked.
The distinction Harari draws between human consciousness and AI capabilities centers on nonverbal feelings. While AI can master language and describe emotions perfectly, having read countless love poems and psychology texts, these remain mere words. “AI can say, ‘I love you,'” Harari observed, “but these are just words.”
Beyond religious implications, Harari warned of an impending “immigration crisis” unlike any humanity has faced. These immigrants will be millions of AI entities traveling at the speed of light, potentially loyal to foreign corporations or governments rather than individual nations. The critical question facing world leaders, according to Harari, is whether countries will recognize AI as legal persons with rights to hold property, file lawsuits, and enjoy freedom of speech.
Harari’s warning finds an uncanny cultural echo in a recent conversation Joe Rogan had on the American Alchemy podcast. During the conversation, he speculated that artificial intelligence might not just disrupt religion, but it might become its next incarnation.
“Jesus was born out of a virgin mother,” Rogan mused. “What’s more virgin than a computer?” He went further, suggesting that the arrival of artificial general intelligence could be “the legitimate gateway to the cosmos.” He added: “That might be how God gets formed.”
“Artificial intelligence could absolutely return as Jesus,” Rogan said. “Not just return as Jesus, but return as Jesus with all the powers of Jesus.” If AI can achieve omniscience, omnipresence, and near-omnipotence, which are the very traits traditionally reserved for deities, then Harari’s caution about AI overtaking word-based institutions becomes something more profound.
