Smarter Than Us? The Future of AI and Humanity

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the fastest-developing technologies of our time. From creating essays to generating pictures, AI is changing the way we live and study. This leaves us with the big question: could Artificial Intelligence ever surpass human intelligence? And if it really does, what would that mean for us humans?

If you haven’t noticed yet, what differentiates us from AI is our way of thinking. A human may combine logic, creativity, emotions and moral judgment to make certain decisions. AIs, on the other hand, are designed to speed up specific tasks. AIs are specialised in recognizing patterns, calculating huge amounts of data and making decisions based on this. They tend not to account for creativity nor emotions like humans – decisions are made using information they already have. This is different from us humans, since we consider ethical choices in making decisions. 

AI may have already beaten us in these “narrow” areas (Milmo, 2025). When I say “narrow” intelligence, I mean intelligence that is specialized for one specific task or domain. However, we still take the first place for general intelligence. General intelligence refers to the intelligence in terms of creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking and flexibility in learning in unfamiliar conditions. Our brains allow us to learn new things, adapt to new environments, and most importantly, to think creatively – which AI is not able to do as of 2025.

AI, artificial intelligence elon musk, Jelvix. From “AI is 'Better Than' Humans and That is Ok” by Oleksandr Andrieiev, LinkedIn. (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-better-than-humans-ok-sasha-andrieiev)

However, this might not stay true for long. Many scientists and technologists think that someday AI will be able to gain Artificial General Intelligence (AGI or GenAI). This AGI will allow AIs to think and learn as quickly and flexibly as humans. Demis Hassabis, a British researcher who is also the CEO of Google DeepMind, believes that AGI might be coming in less than 10 years (Okemwa, 2025). If this happens, the world would change in a drastic way – would AI take control of us like in sci-fi movies?

There is some good news: this ingenious technology will be able to solve the biggest humanitarian crises. Imagine a world where AI is able to speed up medical research, cure cancer, solve issues related to climate change or even invent products that we have never thought of. Automating excavations in the mining sector or electricity maintenance will reduce life-threatening possibilities as we let AI take over high-risk jobs (Amos, 2023). 

But there are also risks: If AI were to become smarter than us, we might not be able to control it fully. AI may not have values that match our human ethical values, even act violently without intention. (Carlsmith, 2022). There are also dangers of misusing this technology; people may use AI to create deepfakes or even manipulate people. Human jobs are also in danger – jobs like teachers, lawyers, and customer support are at risk of being replaced. If these machines can do our jobs better than us, millions of workers could lose their jobs. This transition could be painful for us, leaving many workers unemployed or underpaid. Newer generations will suffer from competition – not only will they have to compete with other people, they also have to compete with machines.

So what would it mean if AI truly surpasses us humans? First, it would force us to rethink what makes us truly unique as a human. Our intelligence, which differentiates us from machines, combines logic, creativity, emotions and moral judgment – making us truly obtain the “general” intelligence machines do not have. Even though AI may outperform us in the sense of speed, memory recall, or data analysis, AI will only function in a limited manner; relying on algorithms, identifying patterns to complete their tasks. Feelings will always remain unique for us humans; beyond what AI can fully replicate. 

In the end, surpassing human intelligence wouldn’t just redefine machines—it would redefine us. It could be the best thing to ever happen to society, or the most dangerous, depending on how responsibly we shape and regulate it.

References

Amos, Z. (2023, April 7). Can AI Help in the World’s Most Dangerous Jobs? Can AI Help in the World’s Most Dangerous Jobs? Retrieved September 21, 2025, from https://www.unite.ai/can-ai-help-in-the-worlds-most-dangerous-jobs

Carlsmith, J. (2022, June 16). Is Power-Seeking AI an Existential Risk? Is Power-Seeking AI an Existential Risk? Retrieved September 21, 2025, from https://arxiv.org/abs/2206.13353

Milmo, D. (2025, July 17). AI firms 'unprepared' for dangers of building human-level systems, report warns. The Guardian. Retrieved September 21, 2025, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/17/ai-firms-unprepared-for-dangers-of-building-human-level-systems-report-warns

Okemwa, K. (2025, September 16). Google DeepMind CEO says AI bots haven't hit "PhD-level" yet. Windows Central. Retrieved September 21, 2025, from https://www.windowscentral.com/artificial-intelligence/google-deepmind-ceo-dismisses-claims-of-phd-level-ai-as-nonsense