AI Won't Make Our Minds Useless According to 400 Years of History

NLW discusses Venkatesh Rao's 'Cognitive Mercantilism' essay, which argues that abundant and cheap intelligence will expand human ambition rather than eliminate human relevance. Drawing on the history of capitalism, from the agricultural revolution to today's AI agents, the episode challenges the assumption that AI will render human minds obsolete. The core argument is that cheaper intelligence lowers barriers and unlocks new desires, new forms of work, and possibilities not yet imagined.