Augmented Human Intelligence

A clear-eyed look at what AI actually is—and why we must focus on AI systems that augment human cognition, rather than mimic it.

From a seasoned AI researcher and a VC investor and entrepreneur.

Augmented Human Intelligence cuts through all the hype and noise around AI by returning to a central, often overlooked question: What is intelligence actually for? Rather than aiming to build autonomous superintelligent agents, AI leaders Erik Larson and Chee-We Ng argue in this book that we should focus on systems that support and extend human judgment, understanding, and decision-making—capacities that the current AI largely ignores.

Most state-of-the-art models rely on statistical induction at scale. They generate text, recognize patterns, and predict outcomes with remarkable speed—but without any grasp of meaning, consequence, or purpose. The authors of this book contend this is not merely a technical limitation, but a conceptual one: intelligence is not pattern-matching alone. It emerges from interaction with the world, guided by goals, feedback, and relevance.

This book aims to clarify the confusion around what AI is and isn’t, across everything from self-driving cars to robotics to conversational systems. In doing so, the authors hope to spur a shift in perspective—toward AI systems that augment human cognitive strengths rather than mimic human beings.

What makes this book unique is its insistence that judgment and understanding aren’t optional extras—they’re central to the very idea of intelligence. By reframing what we mean by thinking, the authors invite readers to imagine a different future for AI: one grounded not in simulation or spectacle, but in support for real human insight.Erik J. Larson is a computer scientist, tech entrepreneur, and the author of The Myth of Artificial Intelligence, a widely acclaimed critique of current AI narratives. A Fellow with the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture (IASC), he has founded two AI companies and contributed to both academic and public debates on the limits and promise of intelligent systems. He has written for The Atlantic, Wired, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Metro Silicon Valley, UnHerd, and other publications.

Chee-We Ng is the founder and managing partner of Oakseed Ventures, where he seeds transformative startups in AI and cybersecurity. A coauthor of The AI Book, he has been investing in and running AI startups over the past decade.