Werber discusses AI, history and belief

French novelist Bernard Werber believes artificial intelligence should be viewed much like any other transformative invention.

"Every scientific advance and discovery can serve humanity, but it can also be misused. The same was true of fire. The same was true of radiation. AI is no different. It's a tool," he said.

Werber, 65, whose novels have attracted a loyal readership in South Korea, made the remarks Thursday at a press event for the Korean release of his latest novel, The Waltz of Souls, during the second day of the 2026 Seoul International Book Fair at COEX in Seoul's Gangnam District. Calling AI "a subject I've already moved beyond," he argued that humanity has repeatedly encountered disruptive technologies throughout its history.

The new novel takes the notion of revisiting history to its furthest reach. Its protagonist lives through a series of past lives, inhabiting figures from different eras, from a Neanderthal to the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras. Werber said the premise grew out of his own experiences.

"I've been fascinated by past-life regression for many years. A medium once told me I had lived 111 previous lives. I have no way of knowing whether that's true, but it certainly provided plenty of material for a novel. The episode in which the protagonist lives as a woman in ancient Egypt came from that same idea, because I was told that one of my past lives was female."

Werber said he approaches past-life experiences not as a matter of faith but as a form of experimentation. Such explorations, he said, can help people look beyond the narrow boundaries of their present lives.

"We become so absorbed in our current existence that we rarely consider any perspective beyond it," he said. "Experiences like these encourage us to think differently. They remind us that our lives may be part of something larger." He added that the exercise can also help people better understand viewpoints unlike their own, including those of the opposite sex.

A self-described history enthusiast, Werber characterized human history as a continuing contest between obscurantism and enlightenment.

"Some forces seek to pull society backward, toward barbarism and subjugation. Others push humanity forward, encouraging intellectual and spiritual growth. To me, the history of civilization is ultimately the story of enlightenment confronting obscurantism."

That outlook also shapes his concern about what he sees as growing public indifference to crises around the world.

"You only have to look at today's news. In Afghanistan, girls as young as 9 are still being forced into marriage and subjected to sexual violence. In North Korea, a dictatorial system continues to impose totalitarian control and treat its people as little more than subjects. What troubles me most is how easily the rest of the world seems to accept these realities, with little outrage or response."


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