The Hard Truth: AI is Smarter Than the Average Human

"AI is not smarter than humans, but AI is smarter than the average human."

This statement forces us to confront an uncomfortable reality: AI is outperforming many people in cognitive tasks. How did we reach this point? More importantly, how can we reclaim what makes us uniquely human?

How We Got Here: The Rise of AI and the Decline of Independent Thinking

For decades, our education and work systems have prioritised standardised answers over independent thinking. Many traditional education systems, including Malaysia’s, emphasise correct answers and rote memorisation rather than deep inquiry, genuine curiosity, conceptual understanding and independent thought. Similarly, workplaces measure success primarily through quantifiable performance indicators, leaving little room for creativity and experimentation.

This has trained individuals to function like machines: follow instructions, be accurate, and optimise for efficiency. In this system, success is measured by how well you perform rather than who you become as a person. Over time, we are conditioned to prioritise efficiency and achievement over deeper human qualities like ethical reasoning, critical thinking, and compassion.

For much of the industrial and corporate era, this approach was practical and effective. It ensured stability and efficiency in predictable work environments. However, the rise of artificial intelligence challenges this. AI can now process information, analyse data, and execute structured tasks better and faster than humans.

As a result, AI is excelling where many humans have been trained to perform mechanically, creating a new challenge for human intelligence. This forces us to think: What does it mean to be human? Are we really thinking for ourselves? Or have we just been conditioned to become predictable? To learn, work, and live in ways that can be easily replaced?

Wake Up Call: Reclaiming Our Humanity

The reality is, the world doesn't require more people who can follow instructions. The world needs people who can think critically, innovate creatively, and connect empathetically (i.e. people who activate their metacognition). In an era where machines excel at structured problem-solving, our value lies in the ability to think beyond algorithms.

While AI excels at computation, analysis, and optimisation, it fundamentally lacks the qualities that define our core humanity: consciousness, emotional depth, and cognitive agility.

Neuroscience underscores the complexity of human consciousness. Unlike AI, which processes information logically, the human brain integrates emotions, memories, and experiences to shape understanding and decision-making. Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio’s research highlights that emotions are not separate from thinking but essential to it. The human brain integrates memories, emotions, and personal experiences to form insights that AI simply cannot replicate.

The real challenge is not whether AI will replace humans, but whether humans will fail to develop the very skills that differentiate us from machines.

How to Strengthen Human Intelligence in the AI Era

To thrive in the AI era, we must actively cultivate our metacognition and unique human strengths. Here are some simple steps to begin:

1. Stay Curious – Explore beyond your expertise, read about things that have nothing to do with your job, follow ideas down unexpected paths.

2. Seek Diverse Perspectives – Seek out conversations with people who think differently, who challenge your assumptions, who force you to see the world through another lens.

3. Make Space for Deep Thinking – Slow down. Pause. Reflect. Take a break from social media. Allow yourself time to process ideas beyond surface-level information.

4. Listen, Really Listen – Move beyond transactional communication. Listen not just to respond, but to understand, to feel, to connect.

5. Create Something, Anything – write, paint, play music, build something with your hands. Express yourself creativity. Not for productivity. Not for profit. Just to remind yourself that you can.

Ultimately, it is not intelligence alone that makes us human. It is the chaos of emotions, the unpredictability of creativity, the depth of experiences that no algorithm can replicate. These are the things that make us beautifully, chaotically, and irreplaceably human.

If we fail to reclaim and nurture these essential aspects of our humanity, AI will not need to replace us. We will have already done it ourselves.

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Published on: 19 March 2025

Written by:  CHANG Yin Jue

© 2025 Centre of Applied Metacognition (CAM)