“To respond well in an AI-infused world, we must first map all our physical and mental capabilities in a baseline so we can compare how we evolve over time. Here are a few predictions based on futures trends: The use of AI-powered modifications and AI-augmented physical devices that merge digital intelligence with the physical world will mesh with augmented mental capabilities in the age of advanced AI. These smart systems will perceive situations, reason and act in real-time. Examples include AI-powered augmented reality wearables including smart glasses. Robots, vehicles and machinery will be able to embody human intelligence. And ‘Physical AI’ can fuse data from cameras, sensors and more, expanding AI-to-human informational capabilities beyond just the online digital data LLMs use today.
“Societies will have to determine what ‘baseline human capability’ is and may begin to assess who may be more human than machine.
“Agency, authority and ability will be challenged when humans who are augmented with deepened onboard AI capabilities compete with ‘natural’ humans.
“Society will have to grapple with much broader widening AI divide in which the rich get smarter and stronger with mods and other classes will be far less able to compete. We have the right to be purely human without mods.
“We must have kill switches on AI systems, and these systems must have the power to unlearn or correct misinformation as they self-heal.”
This essay was written in January 2026 in reply to the question: “AI systems are likely to begin to play a much more significant role in shaping our decisions, work and daily lives. How might individuals and societies embrace, resist and/or struggle with such transformative change? As opportunities and challenges arise due to the positive, neutral and negative ripple effects of digital change, what cognitive, emotional, social and ethical capacities must we cultivate to ensure effective resilience? What practices and resources will enable resilience? What actions must we take right now to reinforce human and systems resilience? What new vulnerabilities might arise and what new coping strategies are important to teach and nurture?” This and 200-plus additional essay responses are included in the 2026 report “Building a Human Resilience Infrastructure for the AI Age.”