Technology that has shifted human civilization typically has been in the realm of advancements in communication. Or in other words, reducing friction between people coming together. Tech we consider standard or even obsolete spurred an immense amount of innovation which typically did not build upon them the way we would consider layer 1 technology, but influenced societies all together.

Airplanes, automobiles, telegraphs, phones (in all their forms), were time machines that catapulted the user forward faster and farther than they would have ever reached otherwise. They reduced latency between people interacting.

Even more recently, going from 2g to 3g to 4g and now 5g, we saw humanity propelled forward because the reduced friction, measured in latency and bandwidth, allowed for us to communicate and collaborate faster.

AI is a lever that will undoubtedly help more men and women move the world, but it's not yet in the same category as the technology that reduces friction between human interaction. It's a productivity gain that magnifies what one person can accomplish. I am not yet sure if it will be a net positive on humanity, though. Depends on how we address property rights in a brave new world and whether income becomes conditional on foregoing civil liberties. Getting incentives right to spur innovation and stabilize society will be tough.

I think technologies like Neuralink may actually be more positively impactful on societies, because it resembles other innovations in the past that have done the same, in that it can reduce latency and increase bandwidth in communication. It will have its dangers at first, undoubtedly, but within a few generations, I have faith those will be worked out through an anti-fragile system, because we share incentives, regardless of class, for it to be, and it can become ubiquitous.