The Rise of the "Intelligence On Demand Economy" - Why you will be competing with your digital twins

In every era, humanity wrestles with the implications of a new dominant resource shaping our civilization. Ages ago, it was land, then capital, and now, in the digital epoch, many would argue it's data. But what if the most valuable resource isn't just data, but the control of commoditized intelligence that can be made available on demand?

We've seen algorithms evolve from simple computational tools into complex entities capable of making decisions. These algorithms, fueled by vast reservoirs of our personal data, are now in the proces of learning to mimic human-like thought processes to perfection and beyond. They have the potential to become digital doppelg?ngers—that can be made available as commercial entities capable of performing tasks ranging from business emails and music composition to realtime battlefield tactics.

On a technical and legal level this is about privacy or data ownership. However, on an existential level, I believe it's about the surrender of our identities and uniqueness as human creators. If the decades worth of data you as an individual have generated online (social posts, emails, blogs, logged behaviour, creative work, etc) is continuously being used to train commercial AI-models that empower artificial entities that are optimised to mimic how you think, act and create like, what will eventually distinguish your value as an intelligent entity in the online world? I experience the initial impact of this paradigm to be a feeling of increased competitive pressure as AI deflationary pressure on intelligence. Put in simple terms, as your digital twin (both pure AI agents and AI-assisted human agents) enters the workforce, the marketplace, or the creative arena, the value of your own output will diminish. What once was unique to your skill set and thought process could become a commoditized service, available to anyone with the means to pay for it.

Beyond this, the ramifications could extend into existential territory. The second and perhaps more profound impact could be a loss of meaning. The rare intellectual and creative capacities that once gave you a sense of purpose could become commoditize by your digital counterpart, leading to a crisis of meaning that challenges our understanding of self-worth and individual contribution.

This commodification of human-like intelligence forces us to rethink our role as creators across all domains. In a world where machines can think and create like us, what becomes of human originality and ingenuity? The ripple effects extend beyond economics to the social and ethical fabric of society. The current trajectory we are on seems to be towards an age of cognitive stratification, where power accrues to those who control these advanced forms of AI. In this landscape, the elite are not those who owns the most physical capital but those who command the most cognitive capital.

Are we, as a collective society, ready to confront and redefine what distinguishes our unique human essence in an age where our digital twins threaten to eclipse us?