Human Intelligence in the Age of AI

Who Cares That You’re Smart?

For centuries, the human mind has been considered the most valuable force driving innovation and progress. That may be about to change.

Five hundred years ago, most people worked with their hands and their bodies, not their minds. Sure, being able to think and evaluate was important, but being able to swing an axe well was far more so. This all changed over the course of history as we built machines to augment our physical abilities, slowly increasing the significance of mental acuity in nearly every aspect of life. By the end of the Industrial Revolution, physical tasks such as digging a hole no longer required twenty people to complete, since one person could use a machine to do it faster, cheaper, and better.

Physically, we couldn’t compete with the machines, so the economy instead began to restructure around jobs that required the mind—the one area where humans still reigned supreme.

Now fast forward to the present day. We’ve developed machines that can write, code, and reason better, faster, and cheaper than we can. Many have begun to view this new development in much the same light as the shift that occurred during the Industrial Revolution, with potentially the same consequences for humanity.

They’ve posed the question: Will intelligence one day cease to be a necessity? If anyone claims to know the future, they’re lying to you. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some things still worth considering.

Just Another Industrial Revolution?

Much talk has arisen about the upcoming “AI Revolution,” with some even calling it a “Fourth Industrial Revolution.” But what will it actually look like?

At first, this “AI Revolution” will be just like any other new technological revolution. It will certainly face tremendous backlash and regulation. There will be early adopters and late adopters. Some jobs will vanish and other new ones will be created.

However, I see no guarantee that it will end in the same way that other technological revolutions have slowly petered out. In the past when faced with a major reorganization of society, humans have shifted their usefulness to either using the new technology, building the new technology, or doing what the technology can’t. But this time, the technology will be able to control and build itself, doing whatever a human can do (even blue-collar work, once humanoid robots become more advanced—yes, this is a real future, and it’s closer than you may think).

Skills of Increasing and Decreasing Value

Now let’s come back to the question I posed in the subtitle: What should we learn when intelligence is free and abundant?

If you’re at all technologically inclined I believe that in the immediate future, learning how to control/manage AI agents is a great use of time. From the perspective of a software developer, learning proper syntax and new coding languages is starting to become as useful as knowing how to do a triple integral in everyday life. Rather than understanding the nitty-gritty of every programming language, I’ve found it more useful to learn how to plan a project, talk to potential users, and find good people to work with. I believe the value of leadership and conscientiousness will increase as the capability of AI increases, while the value of being a technical whiz will decrease.

As for professions outside the direct sphere of AI, it’s harder to say as of now. For lawyers, I see the value of charisma, creativity, and quick thinking increasing, while the value of being good at research and writing decreasing. As for teachers, I predict the importance of motivating students and connecting with them will increase, and the importance of being an expert on the material will decrease (but not go away entirely)., and the importance of being an expert on the material will decrease (but not go away entirely).

What to Do in the Meantime

Hopefully you haven’t read this and come to the conclusion that the future is hopeless—that certainly wasn’t my goal.

While the idea of a machine-run society may seem daunting and hard to cope with, may I point to the fact that our distant ancestors would surely have said the same thing about the world we live in now. In the midst of all this uncertainty, I believe there’s two things we can all agree on: tremendous change is coming, and no one really knows what it will look like. Therefore I won’t propose strict rules or advice to follow, but rather heuristics that I believe are good indicators of what you should be doing:

1. Work on the cutting-edge of your field

2. Pursue what interests you

3. Work on a problem ambitious enough that it will attract the best talent

So will intelligence cease to be important? While I can’t say for sure, I still remain optimistic. Remember that you get to choose how you will react to what’s coming.

For those of us who embrace the change, I truly believe there’s no limit to what can be achieved.

Note: Special thanks to Sara Wang for helping me refine this post.