# Thinking Machines May Leave Humans No Higher Ground by Bryant McGill > “Every previous machine moved human beings up to the next scarce thing, and the machine that thinks is the first one that may leave no higher ground to climb.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public, 2026* ## Sources and Context - **Original authored source:** [[articles/The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public|The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public]], “VIII. The Jobs Question Gates Will Not Soften” (September 29, 2026). - **Exact marked source:** “Every previous machine moved human beings up to the next scarce thing, and the machine that thinks is the first one that may leave no higher ground to climb.” - **Editorial treatment:** The Reminder reproduces the complete rendered extraction surface without alteration; bold emphasis and source-only wikilink syntax are not part of the poster text. - **Context:** The quotation identifies cognition as the last scarcity to which displaced labor historically climbed and asks what remains when machines supply it. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public|The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public]] - **Companion article:** [[articles/Vertically Integrating an AI Superpower from AI Factory to Citizen|Vertically Integrating an AI Superpower from AI Factory to Citizen]] - **Companion article:** [[articles/Safety Discourse Is Transition Discourse|Safety Discourse Is Transition Discourse]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/AI Transition Governance|AI Transition Governance]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/AI Economy|AI Economy]] - [[wiki/Human-Reserved Work|Human-Reserved Work]] - [[wiki/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - [[wiki/Automation|Automation]] - [[wiki/Intelligence as a Utility|Intelligence as a Utility]] - [[wiki/Substitution Thesis|Substitution Thesis]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Every previous machine moved human beings up to the next scarce thing, and the machine that thinks is the first one that may leave no higher ground to climb.” — Bryant McGill, The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public, 2026 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-bryant-mcgill-thinking-machines-may-leave-humans-no-higher-ground ```