Rewriting the AI Myth

Geoff Hinton recently said that AI might take over, but it might not. The fears are the same as they’ve always been—what’s different now is that the world is finally taking them seriously. 

But the crucial part of Hinton’s remark is easy to miss: the probability of AI taking over depends on what humans do. That’s a mindset that’s difficult to have, given that we’ve been conditioned to believe that AI is in competition with us. Studies show that more more than half  of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI’s growing role in daily life.

This concern stems from a longstanding misconception—the idea that the human brain works like a computer, which first took hold in the 1940s with the development of neural networks and the rise of the Computational Theory of Mind (CTM). This theory posited that the brain functions like a machine, processing information through algorithms, and since then, we’ve been stuck in this metaphor. 

We use the language of machines to describe our own minds: we “process” ideas, “store” memories, and “retrieve” information. At the same time, we describe AI as if it “learns,” “thinks,” and “recognizes.”

The issue is that this language model has locked us into a narrow view. If we continue to accept this metaphor, we will lose the game we’ve set up for ourselves—because in many cognitive areas, AI will beat us. It’s already achieving near-expert levels in specific tasks and will only continue to improve. But here’s the thing: humans aren’t just machines. And our true advantage doesn’t lie in cognitive intelligence alone.

What makes us distinct is our ability to create and share beliefs—what Harari calls “collective fictions.” We’re the only species that can build entire societies around shared myths, such as nations, money, or human rights. These myths allow us to cooperate with strangers and to create systems larger than ourselves. This ability to create meaning, to craft stories and fictions, is uniquely human.

We have a long history of creating these myths. Some serve us for a time and are later discarded. Descartes, for instance, once claimed that animals lacked inner experience—that they were essentially living machines without consciousness. We’ve since moved beyond that myth, recognizing the complex emotional and cognitive lives of animals. 

Now, it’s time to let go of the myth that humans are simply advanced computers. It no longer serves us.

The good news is that we have the ability to change our collective myths when they outlive their usefulness. As Hinton said, the world is finally taking these fears seriously, and that’s a sign that we’re beginning to rewrite the story. 

European legislation is already in place to limit the unchecked spread of AI, and more global cooperation is likely to follow. We are on the right path.

The future of AI, and whether it becomes a tool or a threat, depends on us. We can choose to move beyond outdated metaphors and embrace the qualities that make us uniquely human: our ability to create meaning, share beliefs, and shape the world around us. The power to control the narrative has always been in our hands.