We often wonder about the future and our place in it, especially as technology continues to reshape the world around us. We sometimes ask, “Will AI be a threat to humanity?” or “Will AI replace us?” Both questions reflect our uncertainty about the future, influenced not only by technological advancements but also by movies and public debate.
Imagine a world where robots can produce their own hardware, manage their own supply chains, update their own code, and handle every aspect of their existence. In such a world, are they going to serve human goals, or are they going to question the purpose of their existence? If robots achieve true autonomy, powered by powerful AI, and evolve beyond human control, their purpose may no longer be assigned but could instead be self-generated. They could develop their own sense of curiosity, values, or even systems of meaning independent of human design.
Human intelligence encompasses the range of mental capacities that enable humans to reason, learn, solve problems, think abstractly, plan, and communicate. It involves complex cognitive functions. AI systems excel at pattern recognition and can perform reasoning and problem-solving effectively. While their reasoning is not equivalent to human consciousness, they can still tackle complex problems by applying logic, rules, and learned strategies within a given context. However, they still lack the broader scope of human intelligence, particularly emotional understanding and profound ethical judgment.
If we are able to solve most aspects of human intelligence in a machine, will that be a threat to humanity? What if we put them in charge of making Earth better by solving all the problems in the world, and what if they decide that Earth would be much safer without humans? What if they don’t care about empathy, ethics, or a sense of responsibility toward humanity? And what if they are already beyond human control? The creation becoming a threat to its creator would be a very strange thing and one of the greatest challenges for humanity.
We can carefully develop AI so it will not become a threat to humanity, but in the short run, AI is still going to replace many people. AI can automate many cognitive and repetitive tasks traditionally handled by professionals, reducing the need for human labor. People using AI technology will replace those who do not, as they can work faster and more efficiently. Many jobs that exist today didn’t exist centuries ago. Many jobs were created while others disappeared. Maybe some jobs will vanish, but new classes of jobs will emerge that humans can perform. AI will contribute to the world in many ways, helping to accelerate human advancement, enabling scientific discovery, and solving the hardest problems humanity faces.
Years ago, we didn’t have smartphones in our pockets. Smartphones changed the way we access information, and now we have access to intelligent tools at our fingertips. It’s like having the most intelligent human with us at all times to help with anything. Using AI the right way for any purpose makes humans the masters and AI the servant. AI will be built into countless products and services, and we won’t even think about AI as it becomes part of our daily lives.
There are many things we still have to achieve. We have not yet sent the first human to Mars, and the last time humans set foot on the moon was on December 14, 1972. We still cannot travel to space easily, and space tourism is not yet common. That could change soon, as space tourism will become more accessible. Scientists have recently proposed a new warp drive theory that doesn’t need exotic negative energy, only ordinary matter, but it’s purely theoretical. We may achieve interstellar space travel in the distant future, but many of us will at least experience space travel. In the coming years, we will discover new things to do, new needs to meet, and plenty of exciting possibilities, from exploring space to understanding more about the universe we live in, with the help of AI.
Technological advancements undoubtedly reshape the world, but it doesn’t question the existence of humans. Enjoyment comes from the act of doing. Think about chess. Did we stop playing after IBM’s Deep Blue beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997? Similarly, when Google DeepMind’s AlphaGo defeated world-class Go player Lee Sedol in 2016, it didn’t stop people from playing. Human purpose and fulfillment remain deeply rooted in the process of learning, creating, and overcoming challenges. Our curiosity drives us to accomplish things that were once out of reach. It’s these pursuits that bring meaning to life, whether there is AGI, ASI, or not. In fact, technological advancements are going to free humanity from boring tasks.