In an age where AI can execute tasks, the most valuable human trait will be agency—the will to dream up new ideas and act upon them. Instilling this sense of agency is crucial for the next generation to leverage AI as a tool rather than be displaced by it.

We are in a temporary phase where a human using AI is superior to AI alone. This creates a fleeting opportunity for individuals and startups to innovate rapidly. However, this advantage is short-lived, likely leading to a cycle of companies that "pop and disappear" as AI capabilities advance.

While AI can raise the baseline for average performers, its most profound impact will be on "super-empowered individuals." The already great will use AI to achieve 10x productivity leaps, becoming "spectacularly great" in their fields.

As AIs become the world's workforce, advising on everything from personal ethics to military strategy, their character traits are paramount. Currently, this influential "personality" is being designed by a small number of people at top AI labs, granting them immense societal influence.

Once AI surpasses human intelligence, raw intellect ceases to be a core differentiator. The new “North Star” for humans becomes agency: the willpower to choose difficult, meaningful work over easy dopamine hits provided by AI-generated entertainment.

How you perceive AI depends entirely on your career approach. For those disengaged at work, AI is a threat that could automate their job. For those actively crafting their own path ("high agency"), AI is a powerful tool that accelerates learning, networking, and execution, making them superhuman.

AI tools provide technical skills on demand. What truly matters now is an individual's "agency"—the belief that the world is malleable and the drive to change things. This trait separates those who thrive from those who fall behind in the age of AI.

While AI will make average performers good, its most dramatic effect will be making great performers spectacularly great. By augmenting top talent in fields like coding, art, or science, AI enables a single individual to achieve productivity levels previously requiring large teams, creating a new class of hyper-achievers.

The current heightened, polarized discourse around AI is characteristic of a new phase, moving beyond the initial 'ChatGPT moment' of pure capability. This 'second moment' is defined by the emergence of workable AI agents that can take action, raising the economic stakes, increasing political volatility, and making the technology's impact feel more immediate.