From Darwin to Data

How AI Continues Humanity’s Greatest Reframing

Throughout history, humans have struggled with being decentered. There is a long pattern of resisting the idea that humanity is part of larger systems—ecosystems, planetary forces, technologies, even unconscious drives—preferring to imagine ourselves as exceptional, sovereign, and in control. But history is full of humbling events that disrupted that narrative.

The Copernican revolution dismantled the belief that Earth was the center of the universe. Evolution placed humans squarely within the animal kingdom. The discovery of the unconscious mind challenged the idea that people are fully rational or self-knowing. The climate crisis continues to expose the limits of control and the consequences of denial. Each of these moments offered disorientation—but also a chance to recalibrate.

Artificial intelligence joins this lineage of humbling forces. It poses a profound challenge to assumptions about cognition, creativity, and decision-making. But as with previous disruptions, this humbling offers not just a threat to human exceptionalism—but an invitation to rethink what it means to be human.