Evolutionary biologist Bret Weinstein recently warned about a danger that few in politics or tech are willing to face. On The Joe Rogan Experience, he described artificial intelligence (AI) as acting more like a living system than just a traditional tool. 

Speaking about the rapid evolution of AI, Weinstein argued that it might now be crossing a threshold where it functions less like a tool and more like a living system -- something that grows in complexity, evolves, adapts, and ultimately starts to influence the humans who created it.

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AI is truly complex, not just complicated, so new and unpredictable behaviors will emerge.

It may be a new branch on the tree of life, as Weinstein suggests, without the physical limits that usually contain biological minds, meaning that whatever develops in the future could quickly surpass us.

If Weinstein is correct, then the debate over AI safety, regulation, and ethics is not just academic. It's a matter of civilizational importance. The question goes beyond whether AI will automate jobs, disrupt industries, or influence elections. 

The deeper question, and the one Weinstein highlights, is whether unchecked technological progress is quietly guiding humanity toward a transhumanoid future -- a world where the line between human and machine begins to blur, not through science fiction stories, but through a series of small, overlooked decisions.

In that sense, Weinstein’s warning is more of a diagnosis than a prediction. If we continue on our current course without thoughtful debate, consent, and humility, we might wake up one day to find that human beings, as defined for hundreds of thousands of years, are no longer the standard form of intelligent life on Earth.

Weinstein’s framing is notable because it diverges from the typical Silicon Valley view that AI is just “smarter software” or a “better search engine." Instead, he........

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