The modern age has richly rewarded people with a combination of high intelligence and high agency. Now that many aspects of intelligence are successfully being automated, it seems likely that people with relatively lower intelligence but exceptional agency will come into their own if they are willing to egolessly accept AI advice.
Carmack argues that achievement has often depended on a combination of cognitive ability and personal agency: the capacity to decide, act and persist. He suggests that artificial intelligence could alter this balance by making some forms of reasoning, analysis and problem-solving more widely available. If AI can supply capabilities that previously depended heavily on individual intelligence, people with strong initiative may be able to accomplish more than their unaided abilities would once have allowed.
The quote also places importance on a person’s willingness to accept useful advice without treating it as a challenge to their status or self-image. Carmack describes this as accepting AI guidance “egolessly”. The claim is speculative rather than certain: it assumes that AI advice is sufficiently reliable and that users can judge when to rely on it. More broadly, the quote considers how automation may redistribute the value of different human qualities, making initiative, adaptability and openness to assistance increasingly significant.