Alright, let me set the stage. Do you still think sifting through endless pages of a book to find an answer or approaching your teacher every single day after class to ask the tiniest thing is the best way? Well, if you do, you’re seriously living under a rock—because those days are long gone. Every second, even while you’re reading this, intelligence is getting commoditized. The world is churning out more accessible knowledge than ever before which honestly, has caught me in a bit of dilemma about what the future holds.
Before we blast into the future, let’s just take a few steps back to understand to understand how intelligence went from being a secret treasure chest to something that anyone can unlock.
A Turning Point: The Printing Press
Picture the 15th century: An oligarchy where the elites, a very small portion of the society, hoarded knowledge and the rest of society were just mere pawns. Intelligence was possessed in the hands of only a few belonging to the upper echelon- the priests, nobles and the scholars- while the Church had a monopoly over the knowledge in Europe. In simple words, information was locked in Pope’s office.
P.S. I thank god every single day for not being born back then.
Though manuscripts existed, they were painfully hard to write, expensive and inaccessible to the general public. The whole society was run by a cabal of gatekeeping power hungry elites.
Then came the printing press-the 15th century version of a tech startup-that revolutionized the society. The ability to mass produce books increased the distribution. Books were started to be published in local languages, expediting democratization. The bible, once exclusive only to the elites, now was in the hands of the common man, leading to different interpretations, eventually, the formation of different opinions.
The printing press didn’t just change how knowledge was spread, it literally flipped the whole system on its head. Think of it as a humongous domino effect-since people gained access to a vast amount of knowledge, they could finally form their own opinions. Ideas were spreading faster than gossips. It laid down the path for Renaissance in Europe. Freedom movements were fueled and French revolution was kicked off. It set stage for some serious ass-kicking.
While some argue that agricultural societies were the first to start knowledge sharing through oral traditions, I believe this printing press era age marked the birth of intelligence commoditization. It was during this time that the tools for gaining intelligence finally fell from the ivory towers and were caught by the poor peasants. Let’s refer to this as Stage 1, when the chains were broken and knowledge was let free. The next stage shoots this to a whole new level.
Knowledge Goes Viral
Fast forward a few centuries, and we hit Stage 2- the internet. This wasn’t merely a step forward; it was a giant leap. Suddenly if you don’t know something, you don’t have to wait to go to the library in the morning. You just google it. Don’t know how to get to your friend’s house? Google Maps. Can’t figure out how to fix your leaking tap? YouTube it.
The internet didn’t just expedite the process of finding information- it revolutionised the way we think. It became a massive marketplace of ideas where platforms like Reddit and Twitter paved way for network tribes to facilitate global discussions. They acted as virtual townhalls where people with the same interests assembled to brainstorm and share opinions. This democratization of dialogue implied that someone sitting in a village in India could debate philosophy with a professor in London, or a young teenager in Abuja could learn coding from a smarty tech bro in Silicon Valley.
Our perpetual exposure to diverse views, even diverging ones, began reshaping our cognitive landscape. People started developing stronger critical thinking skills, learning to cross-reference information, and forming more nuanced opinions based on a broader spectrum of perspectives.
But here's the catch: Despite all the quintillions of 0s and 1s floating around, there was still a gap. While you could Google medical symptoms, it didn't mean you became a doctor out of thin air. You could learn coding on Khan Academy, but you weren't going to build the next Instagram overnight. Some professions kept their immensely steep learning curves, like bouncers at a club saying, "Nice try, but you're not allowed here." Access to information didn't automatically mean access to expertise. It's like reading a cookbook and thinking you're ready to challenge Gordon Ramsey. That's Stage 2 for you guys—democratized information, but expertise still playing hard to get. The next stage is like the final boss in the race to commoditize intelligence.
AI: Intelligence Becomes Utility
Right now, we’re witnessing something unprecedented: intelligence itself is becoming a utility, as basic as electricity or water. Advanced AI models like Deepseek R1 and OpenAI O3 aren’t just storing information- they’re processing, reasoning and generating insights faster than the time it’ll take you to say “AI will replace me”.
Take a look at Harvey AI- Think of it as your personal lawyer minus the hourly bills. It revolutionizes the law industry by providing deep analysis, automated contract documentation and streamlining everything. Corporate law ? Might be in for a shake-up.
Neuralink- Elon Musk’s brainchild is literally working on devices powered by AI which’ll connect your brain to machines. Imagine typing without touching the keyboard - just your brain making the words pop up on the screen somehow.
Harvard CHIEF- This AI system is being used in healthcare, detecting cancer and predicting tumor molecular profile with ease. I mean.. you really have to reconsider your opinion if you believed that AI can’t displace healthcare.
Who else feels that Wix and other website builders are straight-up trash? But Bolt? It lets you to build a website or even a full on software by just using prompts and hosting them right then. This one is for all the non-coders out there.
We’re living through a time when intelligence is evolving from a scarce resource to a ubiquitous utility. Just like you don't need to understand power plants to use electricity, you don't need to know about neural networks to use AI powered applications. But here's where it gets interesting—this isn't just about automation or efficiency. We're talking about a fundamental shift in how we access and use intelligence itself.
The Stages of Access
I’ve put together an analogy for y’all to compare the stages of knowledge distribution. Trust me, this one is as simple as it can get.
Stage 1 (Post-Printing Press): Knowledge is no longer locked up, but it’s scattered in books, and you have to dig through them to find what you need.
Stage 2 (Internet): The books are now online, but you still have to search to find your answer.
Stage 3 (AI Infancy): You now have a smart assistant that finds exactly what you need and presents it to you, saving you time and effort.
Stage 4 (AI Evolution): Your assistant doesn’t just find the info — it’s like it already knew what you needed and does the work for you, almost before you ask.
Stage 3 was dominant until end of 2023, where AI started assisting and guiding us, making work easier but still requiring our input. But as we move into Stage 4, some believe it will go beyond just assisting—it will take over entirely, handling tasks from start to finish without us lifting a finger. Imagine not just getting an efficient tool to help you work faster, but a machine that builds everything for you while you munch banana chips.
This, my friends, is what’s on the horizon, and I really have to say this... it’s got me questioning what the future holds. Every time I think about it, my brain stops braining.
The Unthinkable Leap
Imagine if AI was taking an exam where googling the answers won’t help - no searches, no memorised facts, just pure reasoning and problem solving skills. That’s exactly what the Graduate-Level Google-Proof Q&A (GPQA) test is designed for. It throws really hard, open-ended questions at AI models—questions so complex that even PhDs struggle with them. But you know what, OpenAI’s o3 just dropped an 88% score, beating actual PhDs in their own specialties ,who averaged 81%. Let that sink in—AI is now outcompeting human experts at their own game.
(Source: https://x.com/emollick/status/1880041714683113754)
Now, obviously, there’s a caveat: we don’t know whether OpenAI’s model was trained on these exact questions. But even if that were the case, the trendline of AI progress is absolutely mind boggling. Just look at the exponential curve in the graph—it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Power law is practically being demonstrated right in front of our faces.
Furthermore, O3 achieves a Codeforces rating of 2727 which places it it among the top 175 competitive programmers in the world. Who the hell would’ve imagined a machine that can rival the best of the best human coders on the planet. Just take a moment and think about its implications on software development, automation, and problem-solving.
(Source: https://x.com/mckaywrigley/status/1870170850667966966)
And just when you thought AI was done flexing, enter AI agents—the next revolutionary jump that will dictate how we’ll interact with technology. Unlike chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude, that just answer your questions, AI agents like OpenAI’s Operator don’t just talk—they take action. I really wish that I had the same level of motion as these agents - thousands of plans but zero execution.
Need groceries? It orders them. Need a ride? Uber’s on the way. Basically, it’s like having a personal assistant that never sleeps, never complains, and never forgets your go-to meal. Narayana Murthy would absolutely love this guy - working well over 100 hours without breaks.
Right now, AI agents are still in their infancy, but the potential they hold is absolutely earth shattering. Right now, we’ve just witnessed the first glimpses but as time progresses, they are gonna operate with autonomy.
However, there are some agents that have already started to flex their six packs. For instance, AIXBT a crypto native agent designed to provide users with strategic insights and real-time analysis of cryptocurrency markets. It scouts through tweets from Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), gathers insights and forms its own opinion based on the data. It’s like an AI powered crypto guru who reads the crypto market like a bible. If you wanna know more about agents, here are some links: click here, click here as well :)
Where are we headed?
Honestly, this debate causes more disagreement than pineapple on pizza ever could. Some see it as their ultimate productivity enhancer side-kick, turning newbies into full fledged domain gurus, while others worry that we’re creating an entity that could hurt us in the long run.
The surprising truth? Nobody knows what’s going to happen. Anyone knowing exactly where we’re heading is just trying to sell you something no cap. However, what we do know is that understanding the evolution of intelligence is a key to navigating the nebulous future.
Ready or not, the future is coming. And the best way to ride the tide is to understand how intelligence is being commoditized and be aware of what’s going on. Keep tinkering with new tech and adapt.