“Much of whatever people used to think was special about being human will have to be redefined. It sure won’t be ‘intelligence.’ Opportunities will abound to suffer crises of purpose and meaning, and conversely, demand will grow for psychological and social balms to make us feel okay. Here are three big trends for 2035:
“Coming to Terms with Alien Minds – From early childhood, people develop a ‘theory of mind’ about the beliefs and motivations of other people, animals and – in some cultures – the natural world. Artificial Intelligence brings mind to machines. In the coming decade, folk theories of mind will grow overall more mature and sophisticated, yet also more fragmented and stratified.
Those who are culturally and intellectually motivated to learn about how AI ‘minds’ work will maintain mastery and agency. AI will become their skilled subordinates and collaborative partners. Most people, however, will wane into passive recipients of AI-mediated offerings, demands and impositions. Coping strategies will include conspiracy theories, superstitions, folklore, humor, the arts and widespread sharing of practical tips.
“‘Westworld’-type stories will proliferate. Overheard at the barber shop: ‘This morning Alexa told me not to over-toast my bagel. I was in a bad mood, so I told it to f___ off. Then my coffeepot wouldn’t turn on!’
“Dependence on Active Cognitive Technologies – Human civilization has advanced first through leverage, then reliance, then dependence on technology. Few of us today could survive as hunters-gatherers, subsistence farmers or pre-industrial craftsmen. Increasingly, critical technologies have shifted from physical to cognitive – directed at knowledge sharing, calculation and the navigation of emerging natural and social environments.
“Heretofore, cognitive technology has been largely passive, with people alone writing and reading the books and charting routes on the maps. AI brings us Active Cognitive Technology that can act independently, autonomously and proactively. The hope is that AI agents serve well in regard to expectations, relationships and rewards commensurate with what we get from other people. We will be rewarded, and we will be disappointed.
“Human competence will atrophy; AIs will clash like gladiators in law, business and politics; religious movements will worship deity avatars; trust will be bought and sold. Because they will be built under market forces, AIs will present themselves as helpful, instrumental and eventually indispensable. This dependence will allow human competence to atrophy. Like modern-day chess players, some people will practice everyday cognitive skills as hobbies, even as we are far-outmatched by our AI assistants and minders.
“To play serious roles in life and society, AIs cannot be values-neutral. They will sometimes apparently act cooperatively on our behalf, but at other times, by design, they will act in opposition to people individually and group-wise. AI-brokered demands will not only dominate in any contest with mere humans, but oftentimes, persuade us into submission that they’re right after all.
“And, as instructed by their individual, corporate and government owners, AI agents will act in opposition to one another as well. Negotiations will be delegated to AI specialists possessing superior knowledge and game-theoretic skills. Humans will struggle to interpret bewildering clashes among AI gladiators in business, law, and international conflict.
As AI companions gain credence and mindshare they will become soothsayers and pacifiers and also be adroit megaphones for resistors and instigators. Which messages are taken as propaganda versus speaking truth to power will be chaotically determined and ever-shifting. … After all, Big Brother was not a single human person but an avatar for the Party that won. Trust will supplant attention as the scarce resource to be seeded, harvested, nurtured and sold. Trust will give way to obedience. … As with smartphones today, the young will wonder how their ancestors ever managed without AI. And they will be helpless without it.
“Human-AI Attachment Trades Off with Human-Human Detachment – When immediate physical needs are satisfied, the realities that matter to us most are intersubjective – stories and beliefs co-constructed among people. Human culture has refined the dynamics of commerce, fashion, comedy, drama and status into art forms that consume our everyday lives.
“AI advisors and companions are becoming a novel and uncanny new class of interlocutor that will increasingly vie for people’s time, attention and allegiance.
- The movie ‘Her’ will play out in real life at scale.
- Religious movements will be fueled by offerings of personalized, faith-infused dialogues with the deity-avatar.
- Human-AI dominance and abuse – in both directions – will become a topic of public ethics, morality and policy.
- Affinity blocs will form among stripes of AI devotees, and among AI conscientious objectors.
“As AI companions gain credence and mindshare they will become soothsayers and pacifiers and also be adroit megaphones for resistors and instigators. Which messages are taken as propaganda, versus speaking truth to power will be chaotically determined and ever-shifting.
“Every aspirant to political leadership will maintain layers of AI as well as human ambassadors. After all, George Orwell’s Big Brother was not a single human person, but an avatar for the Party that won. Sponsored AI counselors will arrive to our precarious enlightenment society with initial mandates to earn trust. Trust will supplant attention as the scarce resource to be seeded, nurtured, harvested and sold. Thence, trust will give way to obedience.
“Whether the techlash succeeds or fizzles will in large measure depend on the economic impacts of AI. People’s sense of well-being is not just a function of material resources, but also expectations. AI will magnify the power of institutions and unpredictable currents to whipsaw people’s self-evaluations of how they are doing.
“If techno-optimists prevail, babies born in 2035 will live charmed and protected lives – physically, psychologically and emotionally. As with smartphones today, the young will wonder how their ancestors ever managed without AI. And they will be helpless without it.”
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 report “Being Human in 2035.”