Throughout history, humanity’s progress has relied on pioneers—those brave few who set out into the unknown, risking everything, guided by little more than instinct and purpose. They weren’t driven by profit but by survival and the knowledge that if they found something new—land, resources, a better way to live—they could return and uplift the rest of their tribe.

Humanity spread across the globe not by waiting for everyone to be ready but by trusting that the few who dared would eventually return for the rest of us.

Today, we’re standing at the edge of a new frontier, but the stakes ar rather different. This isn’t about exploring land or finding food. This is about intelligence itself — the power to solve problems, cure diseases, and even alter life as we know it. And while this frontier has pioneers, they’re not the explorers of the past. They’re companies, startups, and investors—all racing to conquer Hybrid Intelligence, the bridge that could one day lead to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

Before we get to Hybrid Intelligence, let’s talk about where this all started. Not so long ago, intelligence belonged exclusively to humans. Our flawed and brilliant minds wrote poems, shaped civilisations, and built empires. We made leaps in knowledge and technology through sheer human willpower, creativity, and adaptability — and sometimes, by accident.

Then came Synthetic Intelligence. Well, it didn’t just show up; we invented it. It started small, crunching numbers and analysing data. A glorified calculator, nothing more. But it didn’t stop there. Soon, synthetic intelligence was processing data faster than any human could, spotting invisible patterns and making real-time recommendations.

Synthetic intelligence is transforming entire industries and has redefined what’s possible in medicine, finance, logistics, and other fields. But for all its power, it is still blind. It can’t see or imagine; most importantly, it doesn’t care. It can crunch numbers but not solve problems requiring human insight, creativity, or ethics. I wonder how long before this last sentence will expire...

We’re entering the age of Hybrid Intelligence, the next evolutionary leap.
Imagine a world where human intuition and creativity combine with AI’s processing power. Hybrid Intelligence isn’t just AI on steroids — it’s the fusion of human judgment with machine precision. It’s the dawn of a partnership that will take us further than we’ve ever imagined, a trampoline that could propel us toward AGI, where machines don’t just follow commands but think, reason, and maybe even understand.

Here’s the problem: unlike every other frontier humanity has conquered, this one isn’t accessible to everyone. This isn’t land you can set foot on if you’re brave enough. This territory requires extreme intelligence, billions of dollars, and proprietary access. The pioneers venturing into Hybrid Intelligence today aren’t doing it for the tribe. They’re private companies, corporations, and high-stakes investors chasing a competitive edge and the chance to own the future.

We've seen before what happens when private armies set course to find new land and resources.

In the past, pioneers went out, took risks, and came back with discoveries that benefited everyone. Today, our pioneers are private enterprises with private goals. They’re not obligated to come back for us; in fact, their incentive is to get there first and close the gates behind them. The more powerful Hybrid Intelligence becomes, the more likely it is that only a select few will have access to it. And if that happens, we’ll end up with a world divided—not by wealth or social status but by intelligence itself.

Picture this: access to Hybrid Intelligence as exclusive as luxury goods, or worse, as gated as political influence. Imagine a future where only the wealthiest corporations and the most powerful governments hold the keys to life-saving technology, diagnostics that predict diseases before they strike, AI-driven cures for cancer, and insights that could prevent food shortages, climate disasters, and economic collapse. Picture a world where a select few live longer, healthier lives with the help of AGI-enhanced medicine while the rest are left with the old tools, struggling.

This isn’t just inequality. This is an existential divide. If Hybrid Intelligence and AGI become tools for the elite, we’ll see a split in society, unlike anything we’ve faced before. We’re not just discussing having a fancier phone or a better car. We’re talking about access to intelligence that can shape humanity’s future. And if that access is reserved for a few, we’re all in trouble. The pioneers will have created a world we can’t reach—a reality where they hold all the answers while the rest are left outside the gates.

I’m worried. We’ve seen this play out before. We’ve watched influence become a commodity, bought and sold in the latest U.S. election, dividing people, stoking polarisation, and ultimately serving the interests of those with power. We’ve seen how public opinion can be split and manipulated, how society can be turned against itself to help a few win big. Corporations and politicians know this game—they play it well, and when they get what they want, they close the gates behind them.

Now, imagine the same scenario, but the stakes aren’t just political influence or policy wins this time. Imagine if the prize is AGI, a transformative power that could reshape the world. Picture a reality where those racing to unlock Hybrid Intelligence get there first and decide to stay there. They don’t come back for us. They don’t share the spoils. Instead, they build a new world with walls we can’t see over, let alone climb. Sure, it’s the stuff of countless sci-fi movies, but it’s a possibility we can’t ignore anymore.

This isn’t paranoia. It’s a warning. Suppose hybrid intelligence becomes a tool only for those who get there first. In that case, we risk creating a world divided by intelligence and access to power that’s unimaginable to the rest of us. We could end up in a society where a select few control the insights, the cures, and the innovations that could benefit us all. And the rest of us? We’re left outside, watching as a new, artificial world takes shape—one where influence, power, and intelligence are gated resources.

But maybe, just maybe, there’s hope. Maybe those blazing this trail will remember the responsibility that comes with pioneering and will remember that their discoveries belong to humanity as a whole, not just to the select few. The real test of hybrid intelligence won’t be how fast we get to AGI or how powerful our AI becomes. It will depend on whether these pioneers will return for the rest of us to build a future where everyone has a stake in what’s created and humanity moves forward together.

Because if they don’t, the future they’re building won’t just be theirs. It will be theirs alone. And if there’s any legacy worth leaving, it’s one where progress lifts everyone, where we look back and say we didn’t just race to the finish line. We built a path for everyone to follow.

So, here’s to the pioneers—those who dare to explore what we can’t yet imagine. Let’s hope they remember us, remember what it means to be part of the human tribe, and remember that the future isn’t about walls and gates but a world we all get to share. The mark of true progress isn’t in getting there first. It’s in making sure we all arrive together.