After Intelligence
Questions on my mind, as intelligence becomes abundant.
As agents get better than humans at intelligence, work and conversations, like many others, I keep finding myself thinking about questions around what it means to be a human in this new world… What happens to human purpose if agents can do everything better? What will it feel like for humans to be the second most powerful species on earth? If agents can be more empathetic and have instincts of storytelling back and forth, will they be better companions for all of us than the next person? This map is my attempt to think through them, in public.
A living map · updated as my thinking changes
Work & Ambition
- What happens to ambition when AI agents are better at all intelligent work and resource allocation than humans?
- What is worth doing if AI can do it better?
- Are we headed towards a world where exceptionality will be about the body vs. the mind? Sports, looks…
- If work matters less, where does money come from? Will we end up in permanent societal stratification?
Meaning
- How will it feel for us to know that we're the second best species on earth? What happens to human drive in this world?
- Will we actually be happier if there's no work for us to do?
- Will we need new religions?
Life & Death
- What changes if dying gets pushed much further away?
- What happens to marriage and careers if healthy life gets much longer?
- How much of our bodies and minds should we change over time, if we can upgrade everything and become cyborgs?
Power
- Do I want an AI making important decisions for me?
- Who should control intelligence more powerful than all human intelligence combined? Can it even be controlled?
- Is AI controlling us eventually a foregone conclusion that we just don't want to accept?
Love
- What happens when AI understands me better than another person can?
- What's different about being in love with an AI vs. with a human?