Hyperhumanism in the Age of AI with Carl H. Smith (BONUS EPISODE)
Embracing Our Uncharted Human Potential
🌟🌿 Enjoy this exclusive 27-min insight-packed podcast episode with a powerful introduction to Hyperhumanism, by Carl H. Smith himself! ✨
Introduction: Unlocking the “More-than-Human” Experience
Imagine we’re standing at the crossroads of Hyperhumanism, a concept that goes far beyond traditional AI-human debates. Unlike Posthumanism’s assertion that we’re already past peak humanity, or Transhumanism’s vision of merging with machines, Hyperhumanism invites us to reimagine what being human truly means. It’s a call to amplify our innate capacities, delve into the depths of our subconscious, and expand our sensory and emotional repertoire. This perspective doesn’t seek to dismiss technology but to orient it as a collaborator, a mirror, and a guide toward new realms of human experience.
I. Hyperhumanism vs. Post- and Transhumanism: A New Frontier of Human Becoming
Posthumanists argue that the “human project” has reached its end, and Transhumanists are eager to upgrade humanity through technology and merge seamlessly with AI. Hyperhumanism, however, proposes a different path—one that sees our full potential as largely untapped. Instead of evolving “past” human limitations through mechanized enhancements, Hyperhumanism suggests we dive deeper into our potential to access the unseen, subconscious, and often mystical dimensions within us. We’re not talking about augmenting intelligence or extending life alone; rather, we’re imagining a broader Awakening, one that reclaims human potential as a path to radical consciousness and creativity.
II. The Power of the Subconscious and Its Potential
Most of our day-to-day experience barely scratches the surface of our subconscious mind. While our conscious awareness offers only a narrow window, our subconscious operates in expansive and intricate layers—intuitive, sensory, and perhaps even transcendent. Hyperhumanism posits that by embracing tools and practices that connect us with our subconscious, we may access a new state of creativity and insight. This involves cultivating perceptual diversity and cognitive flexibility, expanding our capacity for intuition, and embracing subconscious feedback.
In this light, AI and machine learning, rather than simply mimicking human intelligence, can help illuminate and map these unseen aspects of consciousness. Yet this doesn’t mean outsourcing our humanity. Instead, technology serves as a catalyst, a tool to sharpen and deepen our engagement with reality rather than a surrogate for it.
III. Learning from Nature’s Networks: Mushrooms and Mycelial Wisdom
In nature, intelligence manifests in myriad forms far beyond human cognition. Fungal mycelium, for example, has survived five mass extinctions. Its networks connect entire ecosystems, sustaining complex life through cooperation, adaptation, and shared resources. The regenerative wisdom within this ancient network reminds us that intelligence doesn’t require centralized control but thrives in diversity and interdependence.
In the Hyperhumanist vision, our task is to emulate and learn from these natural systems. What if our relationship with AI-enabled us to function more like the mycelium, drawing wisdom from the collective consciousness of humanity and nature alike? By designing technology that mimics these living systems, we encourage regenerative frameworks that amplify interconnectedness, fostering a more resilient, adaptive, and harmonious relationship with all life.
IV. Beyond the Five Senses: Exploring Multisensory Human Experience
While we often speak of five senses, scientists and traditional wisdom keep revealing far more. Humans possess over 50 distinct sensory capacities—from proprioception and thermoreception to a “north sense” for magnetic orientation. Hyperhumanism recognizes that our relationship with the world could be far richer if we awakened these senses and transcended the perceptual limits we’ve grown accustomed to.
A Hyperhumanist practice might involve exercises like peripheral vision training, or using sound, breath, and somatic practices to access deeper layers of sensory experience. By practicing intentional awareness, we not only deepen our interaction with reality but also cultivate a more nuanced understanding of our place in it. This recalibrates our relationship with technology, moving from mindless immersion toward embodied connection.
V. A Regenerative Framework for Technology and Humanity
Hyperhumanism doesn’t reject technology but reclaims its potential as a regenerative partner, a collaborator that helps us navigate an unprecedented era of complexity. AI can assist us in unlocking species language, interpreting plant signaling, and even bridging communication with fungi. This approach to AI and machine learning is less about extraction or control and more about mutual flourishing—using these technologies as tools for deep listening, self-knowledge, and ecological understanding.
As regenerative leaders, we must set intentions to use technology as a tool to amplify our humanity, not replace it. AI can aid us in understanding the “other” (whether that’s plants, fungi, or other creatures), thereby deepening our own self-awareness. But Hyperhumanism warns against surrendering our experiences to virtual avatars, endless simulations, or metaverse escapism. Our humanity is precious and irreplaceable, enriched by our finite senses, our relationship with earth’s natural world, and our journey through life’s organic stages.
Conclusion: Awakening the Astonishing Light of Being Human
Hyperhumanism calls on us to expand the spectrum of our human experience. In doing so, we deepen our access to creativity, intuition, and the wisdom of both our ancestors and our subconscious. In this age of disruptive technology, let’s remember that our truest richness lies within our embodied, sensory, and relational humanity. By reorienting technology as an enabler of awareness rather than an escape, we step into a new chapter of human becoming—one that allows us to flourish, grow, and evolve alongside all of life.
Let this be our guiding principle as we explore: technology may amplify, but only we can live, feel, and become more fully human.