# are Humans and AI on the Path to Becoming a Single Evolutionary Unit?
Primeval endosymbiosis as a case study
But what does that mean specifically? “A especially educational case study for this is the formation of the first eukaryotic cell,” explain the researchers. This episode of evolution occurred around two billion years ago through cellular endosymbiosis: primeval bacterial cells took archaea on themselves and over time both merged into a new organism – the first cell-grip-bearing eukaryotial cell. it was only from her that everything develops higher – including us humans.
This leap of evolution did not happen suddenly, but slowly unfolded. “In the early stages, the relationship between the archaea and the eubacterium was probably rather loose, opportunistic and at times even antagonistic,” report Rainey and Hochberg. But over time, the mutual dependency deepened untill both merged into a structural unit. “The resulting organelles – the cell nucleus and the mitochondria – were no longer an independent living being, but became components of a new individual at a higher level,” said the researchers.
“the big question is whether we are at the threshold of a similar evolutionary transition – this time between people and artificial intelligence,” says rainey.
Three steps to the symbiosis
According to the researchers, there are three mechanisms that are already recognizable.
The first factor is the influence of artificial intelligence on our society: AI systems are already increasingly influencing key factors of our life-from choosing a partner to education and career to the health system or financial decisions. Success at work and in private increasingly depends on how we are rated by AI systems, but also how well we can use them in our favor.
The second factor are feedback loops: “The human ingenuity and human behavior form the AI models. The outputs of the AI in turn influence our human behavior,” the researchers describe the principle. “This self-reinforcing circulation can drive the mutual dependency.”
The third factor is dependence: “Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly part of our decision-making, our memory, navigation and coordination.This ultimately leads to a loss of the ability to perform certain functions without AI,” said Rainey and Hochberg.
Division of labor in the AI-Human construct
People and artificial intelligence become an evolutionary unit when natural selection acts together on both. “Even though only the human partner can reproduce biologically, the success of this co-evolutionary unity from humans and AI depends on their integration,” the researchers exp