AI is not only replicating some of the abilities that were previously the domain of humans, but it’s making humans question their very purpose itself.
This profound shift in societal consciousness is a key observation from Kevin Kelly, the founding executive editor of Wired magazine and a distinguished futurist known for his insightful analysis of technology’s role in our collective future. According to Kelly, the rapid ascent of artificial intelligence is democratizing existential inquiry, moving it from the abstract realms of philosophy into the tangible reality of our daily lives. This isn’t a fringe phenomenon; it’s a conversation now echoing at dinner parties and in communities around the world.
“I think one of the reasons why I’m very excited about what’s happening with artificial intelligences, plural, is that it is bringing those questions to us at the forefront,” Kelly states. “It’s making ordinary people in the street have to ask that question, and I’ve heard it myself at almost every dinner party that I’ve been in for the past two years.”
The core of this widespread introspection is the simple, yet deeply unsettling, question of what comes next for humanity. “People are saying, ‘What should I do? What should humans do? What should we be doing? What are we going to be doing? What are we humans for?'” Kelly articulates. This cascade of questions reveals a growing public awareness that the ground beneath our feet is shifting, prompting a re-evaluation of our roles in a world increasingly populated by intelligent machines.
Kelly attributes this “species-wide identity crisis” directly to the uncanny ability of AI to mirror and even surpass human capabilities. The similarity forces a comparison that is both fascinating and unnerving. “And so this kind of society-wide, species-wide identity crisis has been made possible because AI is so much like us in so many ways,” he explains. “We’re saying, ‘Well, if it does that, then what are we gonna do?’ Or, ‘What should we be doing?’ which is the better question. Or, ‘What can we do?'”
Kelly’s observation captures a pivotal moment in our relationship with technology. The explosion of generative AI tools into the mainstream in the last few years has moved the conversation from theoretical to practical. We are witnessing AI compose music, generate photorealistic art, write sophisticated code, and accelerate scientific research—all tasks once considered secure bastions of human intellect and creativity. This trend forces a critical re-examination of what human value truly means. The existential questioning Kelly describes could though lead to an invitation to a new era of human endeavor—one focused on discovering and amplifying the very essence of what makes us human.