The Intelligence Age: Balancing AI’s Promise with Human Values
Credit: Olivier Lovey
Dr. Johann Roduit is the co-founder of Conexkt. He holds a PhD in Biomedical Ethics and Law from the University of Zurich, where he explored the ethics of human enhancement, addressing questions similar to those raised in Sam Altman's text : “The Intelligence Age”. His research used Martha Nussbaum’s capabilities framework to guide discussions on what it means to be human and how to approach human enhancement ethically.
In a recent article, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, presents an ambitious vision of the future, which he calls the "Intelligence Age." He argues that with rapid advancements in AI, society will soon have the tools to solve problems that once seemed impossible. According to Altman, AI will empower individuals to achieve new levels of creativity, dramatically improving education, healthcare, and economic prosperity. He envisions a world where every person can have access to a personal AI team, unlocking shared prosperity to an extent that seems unimaginable today. He’s right; our grandchildren will likely accomplish feats we can only dream of.
While this forward-thinking view is inspiring, it comes with a narrow focus that risks missing what it truly means to lead a fulfilling human life. Technology alone cannot be the bedrock of human progress. A society shaped entirely by the imperatives of technological efficiency risks reducing people to mere instruments, rather than autonomous individuals capable of shaping their destinies.
The Threat of Technological Domination
Altman’s vision of AI as the primary agent of human advancement reveals a tendency to treat technology as a solution to all problems. But when technology becomes so embedded in the way we work, learn, and make decisions, it can end up directing human behaviour rather than supporting it. It’s not hard to imagine a world where people become overly reliant on AI, surrendering critical aspects of human judgment and agency to systems that optimize for efficiency at the expense of true autonomy. If AI handles every decision, what room is left for us to exercise our judgment, wrestle with difficult choices, or think deeply about our values?
By viewing AI as an automatic extension of human capability, Altman risks underestimating the subtle ways technology can shape us. Once a tool is adopted, it begins to influence how we think, how we interact with one another, and even what we value. Personal AI assistants may enhance productivity, but they could also erode our ability to solve problems creatively or to engage in meaningful dialogue with others. What starts as a means of empowerment can quickly turn into a means of control.
The Question of Telos: Towards What End?
The real question is not merely what AI optimizes, but towards what end or purpose. Every optimization, every decision made by an AI system, is guided by an implicit set of values and goals—ones that often remain opaque to users. These hidden values shape the very logic of AI systems and can subtly undermine human autonomy by pushing us towards predefined outcomes that we might not have consciously chosen.
This question of purpose is the same underlying issue I explored in my doctoral research: when we choose to enhance ourselves, we must ask—enhance towards what goal? The focus shouldn’t be solely on improvement for its own sake, but on understanding the implicit telos—the ultimate aim or purpose—behind that enhancement. We don’t simply strive to improve from a past or current state; we are always moving towards something. It’s this “something”—the guiding purpose—that we must carefully examine and question, ensuring that it reflects our true values and aspirations as human beings.
The True Measure of Human Progress
Altman’s emphasis on shared prosperity and economic growth is commendable, but it defines progress too narrowly. True progress isn’t just about increasing capabilities; it’s about enhancing the full range of human potential—our emotional, ethical, and relational dimensions. A society that is merely wealthier or more technologically capable isn’t necessarily a better one.
Drawing on Martha Nussbaum’s work in Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach (2013), we see that true human flourishing requires the cultivation of a broad range of capabilities that go beyond mere technological advancement. Nussbaum outlines essential aspects of human life that contribute to genuine well-being, such as the capability to play, to form deep affiliations, and to exercise practical reason. These capabilities are crucial to our identity and dignity, yet Altman’s focus on AI-enhanced productivity and problem-solving capacity neglects their importance.
Play is more than recreation; it is a space for creativity, spontaneity, and exploration that deepens our understanding of ourselves and others. If AI systems are constantly directing our tasks and structuring our experiences, they risk curbing this inherent human freedom. Will we still find room to play when AI curates every aspect of our lives?
Similarly, human affiliation—our capacity to form meaningful relationships and connections—cannot be engineered or optimized through algorithms. Personal AI assistants may streamline communication, but they cannot foster the deep empathy and mutual understanding that real human bonds require. As AI systems begin to mediate more of our interactions, we could see a weakening of genuine human ties, replaced by shallow, transactional exchanges.
Furthermore, practical reason—our ability to deliberate and make choices about what kind of life to lead—is central to what makes us human. When AI takes over routine tasks, it frees us to think more deeply, but if we become dependent on AI for decision-making, it could diminish our ability to reason independently and make autonomous judgments. A society where people outsource ethical or complex decisions to machines is one where human dignity is at risk.
The Broader Societal and Cultural Impacts
Beyond individual capabilities, we must consider the broader societal and cultural impacts of AI. As AI systems become more pervasive, there is a risk that they could shape not only our choices but also the narratives that define our collective identities. The way we work, communicate, and even understand ourselves could be fundamentally altered, raising concerns about whether these systems will help preserve or undermine the cultural values and social cohesion that hold communities together.
Education, too, stands to be deeply transformed. While AI can deliver personalized learning experiences, it might also shift the focus away from nurturing critical thinking, civic engagement, and ethical reasoning. If we reduce education to mere knowledge transfer, we may create generations who are adept at interacting with machines but struggle with the human elements of empathy, dialogue, and democratic participation.
The Promise and the Peril
Altman’s enthusiasm for AI is rooted in the promise of abundance. He suggests that with enough computing power and data, we can create a society where everyone’s life is better than the best life today. But this view overlooks the fact that prosperity, while important, is not the only metric of a good life. People want to feel that their lives have meaning, that they are agents in their own stories, and that they belong to a community where they are valued for more than their productivity.
Technology should serve as a means to enhance human well-being, not redefine it. The dream of AI-driven prosperity must be coupled with a vision of a society where human beings are still at the center—making decisions, cultivating relationships, and nurturing the values that no machine can replicate.
Reclaiming Our Future
As we stand at the threshold of this so-called Intelligence Age, it is crucial to remember that not all forms of progress are equal. The systems we build should reflect our highest aspirations, not just our technological prowess. Altman’s vision of a world empowered by AI is compelling, but it must be tempered with an understanding of the broader spectrum of human needs. If we focus solely on expanding our technical capabilities, we risk narrowing our humanity.
The challenge, then, is to ensure that the future is not just a series of technical triumphs, but a place where human beings continue to flourish in all their richness and complexity. That means preserving our ability to choose, to deliberate, and to pursue the kinds of relationships and activities that make life worth living.
These abilities—such as play, affiliation, and practical reason—are at the core of what it means to be human, as Nussbaum’s list of human capabilities suggests. They are not limited or static; they evolve and change, reflecting our ongoing quest to understand ourselves and our place in the world. Ultimately, the most crucial ability of all is our capacity to keep questioning what sort of creature we are and ought to be. And that answer should come from within us—not from the creature we are creating. A brighter future is possible, but only if it is built on a foundation that reflects the full scope of what it means to be human.
The Intelligence Age, if it is to truly serve humanity, must be shaped not just by the technology we build, but by the kind of people we want to become.