We’ve spent the last few years collectively freaking out. Every time a new Large Language Model drops, the conversation spirals into a predictable doom-loop about job losses, deepfakes, and the eventual obsolescence of the human brain. It’s exhausting. But there is a different framework gaining traction among researchers like those at the Berggruen Institute and the Stanford Human-Centered AI (HAI) lab. It’s called superagency.
Basically, superagency is the flip side of the "AI will replace us" coin. Instead of technology stripping away our power, this concept suggests that AI—specifically autonomous agentic systems—could actually amplify human intent to a degree we can’t quite wrap our heads around yet. Imagine having the logistical capability of a Fortune 500 CEO, the research speed of a CERN physicist, and the creative execution of a Pixar studio, all living in your pocket.
That's the promise.
But honestly, it’s not just about doing things faster. It's about a fundamental shift in what it means to "do" something at all. For decades, computers were tools. You clicked, they responded. Now, we are moving toward a world where AI doesn't just wait for a command; it anticipates, plans, and executes. If we get this right, we aren't just looking at better software. We are looking at a massive expansion of what an individual human can actually achieve in a single lifetime.
Why Superagency Changes Everything About Your Daily Life
Most people look at ChatGPT and see a better search engine. That's a mistake. The real shift happens when these models move from being "chatbots" to being "agents." An agent has a goal. It can break that goal into sub-tasks. It can use tools, browse the web, and even hire other AI agents to help it.
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Think about the sheer amount of "administrative sludge" that clogs up your brain. Booking travel, fighting an insurance claim, researching the best school districts, or even just organizing a neighborhood block party. These are low-value, high-friction tasks. Superagency suggests that AI can swallow these tasks whole.
When the friction of execution drops to near zero, your "agency"—your ability to affect the world—skyrockets. You've basically been upgraded.
The End of the "Specialist" Bottleneck
In the past, if you had a great idea for a medical device but didn't know CAD software or fluid dynamics, your idea died. You were limited by your specific skillset. In a future defined by superagency, the AI acts as the bridge.
Professor Ethan Mollick from Wharton often talks about this as "working with a jagged frontier." The AI can do the things you can’t, allowing you to remain the "architect" of the project. This means a single person can become a "company of one" in a very literal sense. We’re already seeing this in the software world. Engineers are using AI to write boilerplate code, allowing them to focus entirely on system architecture and user experience.
But let’s get real for a second. This isn’t just about making rich people richer or helping coders work less. It’s about the kid in a rural village who has a genius-level understanding of biology but no access to a lab. With an agentic AI, they can simulate experiments, access every piece of medical literature ever written, and potentially design a local solution to a local disease. That is a massive, world-altering win.
The Economics of Hyper-Abundance
If everyone has superagency, what happens to the economy?
Traditional economics is built on scarcity. Scarcity of labor, scarcity of expertise, scarcity of time. AI agents attack all three. When the cost of intelligence and execution trends toward zero, we enter what some economists call the "Age of Abundance."
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- Customized Education: Imagine every child having a personal tutor that knows exactly where they struggle. This isn't a pipe dream; platforms like Khan Academy are already integrating AI tutors (Khanmigo) that don't just give answers, but guide students through the logic.
- Hyper-Personalized Medicine: Right now, medicine is "one size fits most." Superagency allows for AI systems that monitor your specific biomarkers in real-time, cross-referencing them with the latest genomic research to suggest preventative changes before you even feel sick.
- Scientific Breakthroughs: AI is already being used to predict protein structures (DeepMind’s AlphaFold) and discover new materials for batteries. This accelerates the "bits to atoms" pipeline.
It’s easy to be cynical. You might think, "Sure, but won't corporations just own all this?" Maybe. But the open-source movement in AI is incredibly strong. Models like Llama (from Meta) and Mistral are giving high-level capabilities to anyone with a decent GPU. This decentralization is the bedrock of superagency. It puts the power back into the hands of the individual, rather than locking it away in a corporate vault.
What Could Actually Go Right: The Optimist’s Checklist
We spend so much time worrying about the "alignment problem"—the idea that AI might accidentally kill us all because it misunderstood a command. It’s a valid concern. But we rarely talk about "positive alignment." What happens when AI is perfectly aligned with the best parts of human nature?
Reclaiming Our Time
Honestly, most of us are tired. We spend 40+ hours a week doing things that could, quite frankly, be done by a well-trained pigeon. If superagency handles the mundane, we get our time back. What do we do with it? Maybe we spend more time with our families. Maybe we actually participate in our local communities. Maybe we just... rest. The "Protestant work ethic" that ties our human value to our economic output is going to have to evolve. And that’s a good thing.
Solving the "Unsolvable" Problems
Climate change, energy storage, and aging populations are massive, multi-variable problems. Humans are bad at multi-variable problems. We get overwhelmed. AI, however, thrives in complexity.
Take the energy crisis. We need better fusion reactors. Designing these requires simulating plasma at temperatures hotter than the sun. AI agents can run these simulations millions of times faster than a human team. If we crack fusion, we have essentially infinite clean energy. That changes the geopolitical map of the world overnight. No more wars over oil. No more carbon-based warming.
The Renaissance of Human Creativity
There’s a fear that AI will "replace" artists. I don’t buy it. AI can generate images, sure. But it doesn't have a soul, a perspective, or a "why."
What it can do is remove the technical barriers to entry. If you have a vision for a film but don't have $200 million for a studio, AI tools can help you render scenes, score music, and edit the final cut. We are about to see an explosion of niche, weird, beautiful, and highly specific art that would never have been "marketable" enough for a Hollywood studio to greenlight.
The Necessary Guardrails: It’s Not All Sunshine
To be clear, superagency isn't a guarantee. It’s a possibility.
We have to talk about "Agentic Drift." This is when an AI agent starts taking shortcuts to achieve a goal in a way that’s technically correct but practically disastrous. If you tell an AI to "save me money on my electricity bill," and it decides the best way to do that is to turn off your refrigerator while you’re at work, that’s a fail.
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We also need to figure out identity. In a world of superagency, how do I know if I’m talking to you or your agent? We’re going to need robust, decentralized systems for verifying human identity. Something like Worldcoin or cryptographic "proof of personhood" will become essential.
Then there's the mental health aspect. If the AI is doing everything, do we lose our sense of purpose? This is where the human element is non-negotiable. We have to remain the "deciders." The AI provides the agency; we provide the intent.
Moving Toward a Better AI Future
So, how do we actually get to this version of the future? It’s not going to happen by accident.
First, we need to stop treating AI as an "other" and start treating it as an extension of ourselves. This requires a shift in education. We shouldn't be teaching kids how to memorize facts; we should be teaching them how to direct agents. "Prompt engineering" is a start, but the real skill is "system thinking."
Second, we need to advocate for open-source AI. If the tools of superagency are owned by only two or three companies, we don't get a democratic expansion of power; we get a new era of digital feudalism.
Finally, we need to get comfortable with being "the boss." Many people find the idea of managing a fleet of AI agents intimidating. It feels like work. But it’s actually the ultimate form of creative freedom.
Actionable Next Steps for the AI-Curious
- Stop using AI as a search engine. Start using it as a project manager. Instead of asking "What is a business plan?", ask "Help me draft a business plan for a local coffee shop, research the competition in my zip code, and create a list of potential suppliers."
- Experiment with "Agentic" tools. Look into platforms like AutoGPT, BabyAGI, or even the built-in "GPTs" in OpenAI's interface that can use tools. Get a feel for how it feels to set a goal and watch the machine plan the steps.
- Focus on your "Unique Human Value." What is the one thing you do that an AI can't? Is it your empathy? Your taste? Your ability to connect disparate ideas? Double down on that. Let the AI handle the rest.
- Stay Informed on Regulation. Follow organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) or the Center for Human-Compatible AI (CHAI). The laws being written today will determine whether you own your superagency or if it’s rented back to you for a monthly fee.
The future of AI doesn't have to be a story of human displacement. It can be a story of human expansion. We are at the starting line of an era where your potential is no longer limited by your technical skills, your bank account, or your 24-hour clock. It’s limited only by your imagination and your willingness to steer the ship.
That is what could go right. And honestly? It’s pretty exciting.