It was books and newspapers, for the longest. Then the Internet. And now, AI.

Whenever someone figures out a way to increase human intellectual leverage, the top 2% gain a massive advantage over the rest. That's why humans within a region tend to become steadily more intelligent, but the most-intelligent remain far ahead.

Millions of people were happy chopping wood with a hand-axe. One weirdo decided to tie a handle to the sharp rock.