What research reveals about how AI enhances human capabilities rather than replacing them.
Stanford-led research on GPT-4 and professional tasks showed that experts benefit most from AI assistance. Those with deep domain knowledge use the tool to iterate faster and reach higher-quality outcomes. Novices improve too, but the gap suggests that AI amplifies existing expertise rather than flattening it.
This has implications for how we train, hire, and organize work. The goal isn't to make everyone a generalist aided by AI, but to deepen expertise and use AI to extend it. Intelligence amplification, in other words, rewards those who bring strong human judgment to the collaboration.
This essay is part of the Intelligence Amplifier collection. For the full piece and related dialogues, explore the books and conversations on this site.