Novacene is the name James Lovelock gives to the proposed epoch after the Anthropocene, in which a new form of life based on hyperintelligent electronic systems becomes the dominant force shaping the Earth.
The term comes from his 2019 book *Novacene: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence*, written late in his life as a continuation of the Gaia Hypothesis. In the Novacene vision, humans are no longer the main planetary agents, but we remain part of a larger, self-regulating Earth system alongside our electronic descendants.
# From Gaia To Novacene Lovelock’s starting point is Gaia, the idea that the Earth’s biosphere and physical environment form a single self-regulating system that tends to keep conditions habitable for life. In earlier books he argued that Gaia has, over billions of years, buffered the planet against external shocks and gradual changes such as the brightening of the Sun.
In *Novacene* he treats the Anthropocene as a relatively brief phase where human industry, fossil fuels and global markets became powerful enough to disturb Gaia’s regulation. Our use of fossil carbon and industrial chemistry pushed the climate system toward dangerous instability, threatening both humanity and Gaia’s long-term comfort zone.
The Novacene is then proposed as the next phase in this story. Instead of Gaia being “broken” by human technology, Lovelock imagines Gaia sprouting a new kind of agent: hyperintelligent electronic life that is better at running the planetary thermostat than we are.
Because the biosphere is the mechanism by which Gaia regulates climate, electronic life has a strong incentive to keep a rich, functioning living world. - Hyperintelligence & Gaia
# Human Beings In The Novacene
In the Novacene scenario, humans cease to be the smartest agents on Earth, but we are not immediately wiped out.
# Intuition, Reason And Perception
The Novacene, this raises questions about how hyperintelligent systems will “think”. - New Think
This is another link back to Gaia. The Earth system is not just a set of equations; it is a complex, evolving web of feedbacks. Any intelligence that hopes to steward Gaia effectively may need a kind of embodied, perceptual intelligence, not just raw computational power.
# Ethics, Risks And Critiques
# Further Reading
Lovelock’s own books form a loose trilogy moving from Gaia to climate crisis to Novacene.
- Gaia Hypothesis
- The Revenge Of Gaia
- The Vanishing Face Of Gaia
For reviews and commentary on *Novacene* itself, see for example.
A short overview of the book’s thesis and its place in Lovelock’s career.
- wikipedia 
A publisher summary of the book with emphasis on hyperintelligence and planetary stewardship.
- mitpressbookstore.mit.edu
A critical but appreciative review that questions Lovelock’s optimism about AI while praising his style.
- theguardian.com