Augmented human intelligence goes beyond the AGI mirage

Abstract This paper argues that contemporary Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) approaches face significant challenges that make Augmented Human Intelligence (AHI) a more promising and practically beneficial alternative. Drawing on phenomenological insights from Peter-Paul Verbeek’s technological mediation theory and comprehensive empirical evidence from decades of AI development, we argue that current AGI projects encounter recurring difficulties that may stem from attempting to replace rather than enhance human intelligence. Through analysis of mediation theory’s core concepts, systematic examination of recent AI performance data, and comprehensive review of human–AI collaboration studies, we show why augmentation approaches consistently outperform replacement attempts across domains requiring creativity, judgment, and contextual understanding. Prioritizing sophisticated AHI development over AGI pursuit represents not a compromise but a fundamental reorientation toward more effective and ethically sound approaches to artificial intelligence that better serve human flourishing.