At some point in the future, assuming there isn’t a catastrophic end to humanity, AI (artificial intelligence) will exceed the intelligence of humans and indeed humanity as a whole. Even if our understanding of intelligence is much less than what we believe it is, the infinite monkey theorem is enough to determine we will create super intelligent AI at some point. Ray Kurzweil would say that it will occur in 2045, but other experts argue anywhere from a few decades to a few thousand years.

Artificial intelligence will inevitably exceed humanities intelligence.

When this occurs the advantage we have over machines will quickly disappear, the machines we create may be stronger or more robust but humans are always, without fail, more intelligent. This advantage has been the sole reason human beings still have value in society, and the reason previous revolutions such as the agricultural revolution of the 18th century and the industrial revolution of the 19th century didn’t result in mass permanent unemployment.

The AI revolution will cause humans of all professions to quickly fade into productive irrelevancy. This shift in the fabric of society will either result in humans no longer being needed to work or humans no longer being needed. If humans, or at least the vast majority of humans are to continue to be relevant we must change ourselves or change AI. However AI, as mentioned, is near inevitable. It may not be in this decade or even this century, but it most certainly will be.

By that logic it must be us that changes, and we must change at the same or faster rate than that of an AI. The solution to this problem is for an interface between computers and therefore the AI and our brains that allows for large amounts of various types of data to be transmitted instantly. This solution to an inevitable problem is dubbed by some as the ‘neural lace’.

It must be us that changes, and we must change at the same or faster rate than that of an AI.

There are other methods that could be argued as an alternative method to solving the problem. Most notorious of which is making AI creation open source, ensuring general AI is not in the hands of the few (that could use it for negative means) but in the hands of the many. Although this approach would potentially reduce the likelihood of a rampant AI from immediately destroying humanity it still doesn’t stop humans from becoming obsolescent. So while these efforts should be supported, they are not the final solution to the problem.

Another potential solution is genetic engineering; upgrading our organic mind without needing any artificial implantation or augmentation. Sequencing genes has dropped in price dramatically to anywhere from $150 to $1000 (depending on the amount of the genome that is covered and the accuracy). Recent advances in gene editing technology with CRISPR-Cas9 has allowed for more precise, simpler and cheaper manipulation of genes, despite this genetic engineering still has long term flaws. With a neural lace the growth of intelligence is only constricted by the growth of computers. To ensure humans stay competitive with AI we must forever meet the current maximum efficiency of computers. Assuming gene editing technology allows for intelligence increased at the rate that AI increases in intelligence (which is unlikely) we will inevitably reach the boundaries of what biology allows. After which cognitive enhancement will have to move to another artificial domain; computers. This would render the investment in gene editing for brain-AI competition an unnecessary waste of resources.

General AI at and greater than the level of intelligence of humans is coming and when it does we need to ensure that humans can stay competitive. Making AI open source or using gene editing may be helpful but will inevitably fall short of what is required. A neural lace, or perfect brain computer interface is the most likely solution to the coming crisis, and it is needed for the progress of a neural lace to be accelerated as fast as possible.

Disclaimer: Artificial intelligence already exists in many industries, you probably used an AI if you found this article through a search engine. When referring to AI in this article it is meant as general / full AI. This is an AI that spans all areas intelligence that we typically associate with humans.