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One term for this path is "gradual disempowerment" — a scenario where AI displaces human labor in the economy
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And though the word "gradual" is in the name, that does not mean the problem is something to worry about far in the future, according to experts.
Key facts
- The term "gradual disempowerment" stems from a paper published in early 2025
- At the heart of the gradual disempowerment scenario is AI technology continuing to advance in capabilities, as it has rapidly since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022
- But then a tech company comes out with AI-powered Hammer Bots
- If the United States uses AI to make decisions in battle, its enemies across the field will be pressured to do the same
Summary
It seems that almost daily, a big tech company releases a new AI-driven digital assistant. But some researchers say this is the beginning of a treacherous path for humankind, one where bots take more and more off their plate until all that's left is an empty vessel, and they human users become nothing more than thoughtless "approvers. One term for this path is "gradual disempowerment", a scenario where AI displaces human labor in the economy, replaces human decision-making in all key societal concerns, erodes human creativity, and degrades human cognition along the way. "The reporter put gradual disempowerment on the top of their list," said Jay Chooi, the founder and CEO of Robocurve, a company that tracks and measures AI-driven robotics capabilities.