“As someone deeply immersed in studying how digital technologies shape human networks and behavior, I envision AI’s impact on human experience by 2035 as transformative but not deterministic. The partnership between humans and AI will likely enhance our cognitive capabilities while raising important questions about agency and authenticity. We’ll see AI becoming an integral collaborator in knowledge work, creativity and decision-making. However, this integration won’t simply augment human intelligence – it will fundamentally reshape how and what we think, relate and understand ourselves.
“The boundaries between human and machine cognition will blur, leading to new forms of distributed intelligence in which human insight and AI capabilities become increasingly intertwined.This deep integration will affect core human traits like empathy, creativity and social bonding. While AI may enhance our ability to connect across distances and understand complex systems, we’ll need to actively preserve and cultivate uniquely human qualities like moral reasoning and emotional intelligence.
The boundaries between human and machine cognition will blur, leading to new forms of distributed intelligence in which human insight and AI capabilities become increasingly intertwined. This deep integration will affect core human traits like empathy, creativity and social bonding. … We’ll need to actively preserve and cultivate uniquely human qualities like moral reasoning and emotional intelligence.
“The key challenge will be maintaining human agency while leveraging AI’s capabilities. We’ll need to develop new frameworks for human-AI collaboration that preserve human values while embracing technological advancement. This isn’t about resistance to change, but rather thoughtful integration that enhances rather than diminishes human potential.
“My research suggests the outcome won’t be uniformly positive or negative but will depend on how we collectively shape these technologies and their integration into social systems. The focus should be on developing AI that amplifies human capabilities while preserving core human values and social bonds.”
This essay was written in January 2025 in reply to the question: Over the next decade, what is likely to be the impact of AI advances on the experience of being human? How might the expanding interactions between humans and AI affect what many people view today as ‘core human traits and behaviors’? This and nearly 200 additional essay responses are included in the 2025 report “Being Human in 2035.”