AI intelligence 2026; The Intelligence Monopoly: Why AI Feels Like a Personal Attack on us, leaving a feeling of insecurity and hopelessness
Post by Peter Hanley, coachhanley.com
For as long as humans have been around, we’ve leaned on one specific “superpower” to stay at the top of the food chain: our brains. Intelligence wasn’t just a trait; it was our unique selling point. Consequently, when we hear the phrase “AI is becoming more intelligent than us,” it doesn’t just sound like a technical update—it feels like a demotion.
However, if we look closer at the current panic, it becomes clear that we aren’t actually afraid of a smarter machine. Rather, we are reacting to a perceived loss of control.
The Shared Advantage
Historically, we viewed tools as extensions of our physical selves—hammers for our hands, wheels for our feet. In contrast, AI is an extension of our cognitive selves. Furthermore, it is beginning to perform tasks we once thought were “human-only,” such as writing poetry, diagnosing diseases, or coding software.
Because this advantage now feels “shared,” the pedestal we’ve sat on for centuries feels a bit wobbly. We aren’t just losing a tool; we feel like we’re losing our status as the primary architects of the world.
Why We Take It Personally
Why does a faster computer feel like a challenge to our identity? Essentially, it’s because we’ve tied our self-worth to our utility. Specifically, when a machine can process data or generate ideas faster than a human, it triggers a “loss of control” response.
- On one hand, we appreciate the efficiency.
- On the other hand, we fear that if we aren’t the “smartest” thing in the room, we are no longer the ones in charge.
Thus, the debate about AI intelligence is rarely about benchmarks or processing power. Instead, it is a deeply emotional reaction to the idea that our “steering wheel” is being handed over to something we don’t fully understand.
AI Intelligence 2026 Reframing the Narrative
Ultimately, the fear of being “outsmarted” assumes that intelligence is a zero-sum game—that if the AI has more, we have less. Nevertheless, history shows that every leap in technology has expanded our capabilities rather than erased them.
“AI is not a replacement for human thought; it is a mirror of it—faster, broader, and increasingly complex. The ‘loss of control’ is only real if we stop driving.”
In conclusion, while it is unsettling to see our greatest advantage shared with silicon, it doesn’t mean we are being replaced. To the contrary, it might just be the push we need to redefine what “human intelligence” actually means beyond just processing data.
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