Will AI Become Smarter Than Humans?

Explore whether AI can surpass human intelligence, what major obstacles stand in its way and what comes next for us all.

In under 20 minutes

About Will AI Become Smarter Than Humans?

Know someone who’d enjoy this?

About This BookBender

Will artificial intelligence eventually surpass human intelligence—and what would that mean for humanity? This course explores the science behind AI, the possibility of artificial superintelligence, the obstacles that remain, and the profound economic, ethical, and societal consequences of machines becoming smarter than their creators. Drawing on leading thinkers in artificial intelligence, it separates realistic possibilities from speculation and examines how humanity can prepare for an increasingly intelligent technological future.

Listen to the Intro

0:001:02

Subscribe to listen to the full BookBender

The Books Behind This BookBender

Books behind Will AI Become Smarter Than Humans?

Disclaimer: This course is independently produced by BookBender and draws on ideas and insights from the books featured above. BookBender is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the authors or publishers of these works. The course is an original educational work and is not intended to replace the books themselves.

Inside This BookBender

Part 1: What Does It Mean to Be Smarter Than a Human?

Discover how researchers define intelligence and why outperforming humans at individual tasks is different from general intelligence.

Part 2: Why AI Has Advanced So Quickly

Understand how machine learning, computing power, and data transformed artificial intelligence.

Part 3: Could Intelligence Improve Itself?

Explore the possibility that advanced AI could accelerate its own development and trigger an intelligence explosion.

Part 4: What Could Stop AI From Surpassing Us?

Examine the technical, physical, and practical obstacles that may limit future AI capabilities.

Part 5: Would a Smarter AI Be Dangerous?

Learn why greater intelligence does not automatically produce safe behavior and why alignment matters.

Part 6: Who Controls a Superintelligent World?

Investigate how governments, corporations, and technological competition could shape the distribution of AI power.

Part 7: What Happens If Machines Become Smarter Than Us?

Consider how superhuman AI could transform science, employment, human autonomy, and the future of civilization.

Introduction: The Last Invention?

For thousands of years, humans have been the most intellectually capable species on Earth. We've built civilizations, discovered the laws of physics, developed medicine, and created machines that transform how we live.

Now, for the first time, we're building machines that may eventually outperform us at the very thing that made those achievements possible: intelligence.

Artificial intelligence already surpasses humans in certain specialized tasks. It can analyze enormous datasets, recognize patterns, generate computer code, and solve problems that once required highly trained experts.

But does being better at individual tasks mean a machine can become smarter than a human in every meaningful sense?

And if artificial intelligence eventually surpasses human intelligence, what happens next?

To answer these questions, we need to understand what intelligence actually is, how machines acquire it, and why some researchers believe humanity may be approaching a turning point unlike anything in its history.

Subscribe to read the full Transcript

See subscription plans

Continue Exploring

Subscribe to continue exploring

Discover what each book adds and how it deepens your understanding of this topic.

See subscription plans