Artificial Intelligence seems to be the mother of all hypes. Having lived through numerous hypes before, I can assure everyone here that this (hype) too shall pass.

That said, it is very important to recognize that even though the AI hype does not look all so different, it still bears some crucial distinctions from the ones before.

Why is that? Mainly because, this time, it is not only about technology, it is not only about resource optimization or disruption, as seen during the internet revolution or more recently during the crypto/blockchain hype. Artificial Intelligence is shaking, maybe even destroying, the very foundation of how we define ourselves as human beings. Let me explain:

For the last 400 years, we have based our human experience on our cognitive intelligence, our capacity to rationalize the world around us. This movement was famously kicked off by René Descartes, who said, “I think, therefore I am.” At the time, this was a necessary step to leave the dark times of the Middle Ages, driven by inquisition and witch burnings behind. It brought us the age of enlightenment and created the basis on which science operates till today.

The age of enlightenment created an environment where cognitive prowess was and still is seen as the pinnacle of human evolution. We literally thought ourselves arrived at the top of the evolutionary ladder, entitled to rule the world with an unfailing intellect.

And therein lies the problem today, as the characteristics of cognitive intelligence (measured by IQ) and Artificial Intelligence are the same:

Understanding, Learning, problem- solving, decision-making. This means that our definition of human uniqueness is fundamentally challenged by GenAI.

A monumental human identity crisis is on the horizon. Just consider that:

Anything you can think of, through your sole cognitive intelligence, is outmatched in speed, accuracy and relevance by at least 100x by AI! But therein lies hope, even opportunity, as within this looming identity crisis lies the opportunity for humanity to grow beyond anything ever seen before.

A monumental human Identity  crisis is on the horizon

To understand where I am coming from, we need to look at intelligence differently. As explained above, for 400 years we have seen cognitive intelligence and its capacity measured by IQ as the factor who defines and differentiates us from any other species.

But in-depth study in the last 40 years have actually proven that there is not one human intelligence but different intelligences.

In 1995 Daniel Goleman published his book on Emotional Intelligence, an Intelligence which focuses on the awareness and the capacity to manage one’s own and others emotions. This book was a quantum leap for both companies and people as it opened up the head driven world to the deeper aspects of a heart driven intelligence. Scientific peer-reviewed research shows that we have around 40.000 neurons in our heart capable of complex processing, independent of the brain.

Then, in 1999, physicist and philosopher Danah Zohar published her book on Spiritual Intelligence (SQ), based on the ability to understand and apply spiritual values, principles, and insights to enhance personal growth, relationships, and a sense of purpose in life.

With the introduction of SQ in this three- layered intelligence framework we are coming full circle.

Since the dawn of time humans have asked themselves these fundamental questions: “Who am I?” “Where do I come from?” “Where do I go?” “Why am I here?” “Is there something bigger than myself?”