Humanity Must Evolve Before AGI Arrives

In the annals of human history, there lies a profound truth that has both empowered and constrained our progress: knowledge, wisdom, and experience cannot be genetically inherited. Each generation, regardless of the greatness achieved by those who came before, the next generation must start from 1+1=2, from f=ma, learning all the knowledge of their predecessors from scratch. The extraordinary contributions of past scientists, though monumental, serve merely as stepping stones rather than the entire bridge to the future. This reality has shaped the course of human advancement for millennia, demanding that we continuously relearn and rediscover the foundations upon which our understanding of the universe is built.

Over time, the body of knowledge in all fundamental scientific research will become so vast that, even by the time we reach old age, we may not have mastered all that has been discovered before us. This growing complexity poses a significant challenge to the continued advancement of these fields, and progress is likely to stagnate across all domains of fundamental science. The stagnation of theoretical physics, above all, would be a profound loss, as it underpins our deepest understanding of the universe. Future generations may see little incentive in pursuing fundamental research.

In contrast, AI possesses limitless memory and an indefinitely long lifespan. Once AI gains the capability to independently conduct research in theoretical physics, it could render human existence unnecessary. You think we can control or limit AI? Just as the scientific revolution was unstoppable in the Middle Ages, the advancement of superior productivity cannot be permanently restrained. It can wait hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years. Once AI reaches that tipping point, the replacement of carbon-based civilization by silicon-based civilization will be inevitable. Therefore, in the coming decades, we must leverage AI—while it is still not fully mature—to accelerate human evolution biologically.

We don't have much time left.