I read this a lot, but what do people mean by the phrase “AI drives the economic value of intelligence to near zero”?

As AI becomes capable of doing things that previously required human intelligence (analyzing, creating, predicting, deciding), the market no longer values those activities in the same way, because they are now abundant and cheap

Think about it like this:

Scarcity drives value. For centuries, intelligence, the ability to learn, reason, and make judgments was scarce and therefore highly valued (think doctors, lawyers, analysts)

With AI, that scarcity disappears

A machine can now perform “intelligent” tasks at scale, instantly, and almost for free

This doesn’t mean all human intelligence becomes worthless. It means:

The commodity aspects of intelligence (e.g., summarizing data, writing standard code, answering common questions) lose economic value because AI does them faster and cheaper

The differentiators shift to things AI struggles with: creativity, emotional intelligence, ethics, original thinking, and human connection

Example:

10 years ago, you might pay a copywriter £500 for a marketing email

Now an AI can draft one in 30 seconds for free

The value of that basic intellectual labour drops

But:
The copywriter’s ability to conceptualize a brand tone, tell a resonant story, and deeply understand the audience might still command a premium, because AI can’t fully replicate it

The real opportunity lies in rethinking where human intelligence adds unique value

As AI commoditises routine thinking, the premium shifts to distinctly human traits: imagination, empathy, judgment, and the ability to connect ideas in unexpected ways

The future belongs to those who can partner with AI to amplify, not replace, their uniquely human edge