In my last article (“Intelligent Does Not Mean Smart“), I explored how intelligence and smartness are not the same thing, and why this distinction matters as AI increasingly integrates into our lives. Now, let’s build on that idea, because as fast as AI is evolving, so too must our understanding of how we, as humans, fit into this new world.

The Opportunity — and the Threat

Artificial intelligence is no longer some distant future technology — it’s already deeply embedded in how businesses are built, how decisions are made, and how information is processed. On the surface, much of this is positive. AI has already lowered many of the barriers that once prevented people from turning ideas into real-world businesses and solutions.

Tasks that once required years of technical expertise can now be automated or delegated to AI systems. What previously took months or years can sometimes be done in hours. In many areas, access to powerful tools is being democratized.

But this also brings a serious risk: the same tools that empower some will leave others behind. Entire categories of work are now highly vulnerable to automation — data entry, legal processing, administration, customer service, even elements of healthcare and creative industries. This isn’t just another industrial revolution replacing physical labour; this is a disruption of intelligence itself — the very thing that once made humans unique and valuable in the economy.

The New Currency: Agency

As AI continues to evolve, what remains distinctly human? Increasingly, the answer appears to be agency.

Agency is about taking initiative, making decisions, and coordinating action. It’s the ability to set direction, to orchestrate resources, and to create opportunities rather than wait for them. In a world where AI can produce, process and optimize better than any individual human, those who know how to direct and leverage these systems — who take responsibility rather than waiting for instructions — will find themselves at a huge advantage.

The dividing line may no longer be between who is smart and who is not, but between who can take meaningful action with these tools and who remains a passive observer.

Growing Inequality of Capability

Of course, this creates a new kind of inequality. The early adopters who embrace these tools and learn to apply them may race ahead, while many others struggle to adapt. The divide becomes a cognitive one — between those who are overwhelmed by these changes and those who learn how to ride the wave.

And while the optimists argue that markets and societies are self-correcting, history shows us that these corrections often involve real and painful periods of dislocation before any new balance emerges. The scale and speed of change this time may leave many unable to catch up in time.

The Complexity Problem

One of the deepest concerns raised by experts across various fields is not just about job losses, but about the unpredictability of what AI may become. Unlike previous technologies, which were mostly complicated but predictable, AI systems are increasingly complex — evolving, adapting, and sometimes producing results that even their creators cannot fully explain.

As these systems become more autonomous and more connected, they may begin to exhibit behaviours that are difficult to anticipate. The potential for unintended consequences — or even deliberate misuse — grows with every leap forward.

The Path Forward

And yet, within this disruption lies extraordinary potential. The same AI systems that threaten existing jobs can create new industries, new ways of working, and entirely new fields of human creativity. But only for those prepared to adapt.

This is where agency matters most: taking ownership of learning, experimenting, and developing the ability to work with these systems rather than competing against them. Those who do so will likely find new opportunities that didn’t exist before. Those who wait for someone else to show them the way may struggle to find a place in this rapidly shifting landscape.

Final Thought

As AI takes over more of the “thinking,” our ability to adapt, act and orchestrate becomes the new skill that matters. Intelligence may have brought us (humans) this far — but agency will decide who keeps moving forward.