THE NEXUS POINT

THE POTENTIAL OF THE HUMAN MIND HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SOURCE OF CURIOSITY. THE OFTEN-REPEATED IDEA THAT WE USE ONLY A FRACTION OF OUR MENTAL CAPACITY BEGS THE QUESTION: HOW DO WE ACCESS THE REST? PERHAPS WE HAVE NOT YET EVOLVED TO A POINT WHERE SUCH HIGHER FUNCTIONS ARE NECESSARY. THROUGHOUT HISTORY, HUMANS HAVE SHAPED THE EARTH BY IMPOSING ORDER ON CHAOS, CREATING SYSTEMS THAT REFLECT OUR OWN ATTEMPT TO DISCERN AND IMITATE A HIGHER DESIGN. YET, THESE SYSTEMS REMAIN IMPERFECT—LIMITED BY CULTURE, TIME, AND CONTEXT.

DESPITE THEIR IMPERFECTIONS, THESE CRUDE ATTEMPTS HAVE BROUGHT HUMANITY TO WHERE WE ARE NOW. IN OUR CONTINUING QUEST TO IMPROVE, WE HAVE CREATED MACHINES IN OUR OWN IMAGE—AUTONOMOUS ENTITIES THAT NOW THREATEN TO REPLACE US IN THE ROLES THAT ONCE PROVIDED MEANING AND VALUE. THIS SHIFT LEAVES US WITH A CRITICAL QUESTION: WHAT WILL HUMANS DO WHEN MACHINES HAVE TAKEN OVER?

WHILE SOME ARGUE THAT THIS LIBERATION WOULD PROVIDE TIME FOR HUMAN INDULGENCE, THE CONSEQUENCES MAY BE FAR MORE CHAOTIC. AS AGENT SMITH IN THE MATRIX SUGGESTS, A UTOPIAN EXISTENCE LACKS THE STRUGGLE THAT GIVES MEANING TO HUMAN LIFE. HOWEVER, THIS CRISIS COULD ALSO BE THE CATALYST FOR HUMAN EVOLUTION. IF MACHINES RENDER HUMANS REDUNDANT, PERHAPS IT WILL FORCE US TO REDEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN, EXPANDING OUR CAPABILITIES AND EVOLVING IN A WAY THAT DISTINGUISHES US FROM OUR CREATIONS.