Thus Spoke Zarathustra

I found Nietzsches description of humans he considered to be “Heavy Drops” fascinating. In the first meeting of Zarathustra and a crowd of people, he praised those who abstain from seeking desires or meaning beyond their own understanding. Those constitute the “Heavy Drops” who usher in the arrival of the Übermensch. I have been thinking what role Artificial Intelligence could play with regard to this. Once a general intelligence arrives, how will humanity regard it? Will it guide them towards focusing more on earthly goals and steer them away from looking beyond what they can conceive for guidance or instead, will it instill a sense of inferiority in the face of overwhelming capabilities and knowledge that far surpasses their own. In my opinion, this is very much a non-trivial question, which may well lead to different outcomes based on the observing individual.