# Superagency: when AI gives us superpowers (and, we hope, no superproblems)

Author: Fernando Nieto Lobato
Original publication: 2025-02-05
Spanish original: https://estrategiabyaleph.substack.com/p/estrategia-71-innovacion-sin-miedo
English URL: https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/essays/071/
Status: Published translation

This is a translation of the original Spanish essay published on 5 February 2025. Its claims, examples and forecasts retain that historical context.

English publication: 2026-09-29

**Whenever humanity encounters a new technological toy, the ritual is the same: first, “Good heavens, how wonderful!”, followed almost immediately by “Oh no, we’re all going to die!”** From Gutenberg’s printing press, supposedly heralding a heretical apocalypse, to the motor car, destroyer of sacred family life, history is full of innovations greeted with a mixture of wonder and panic. **Now, with artificial intelligence in full ferment, the symphony of fears and hopes is reaching a deafening crescendo.** Into this setting, **last week brought the publication of *[Superagency](https://www.superagency.ai/)*, subtitled *What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future***, Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato’s latest book: a beacon—or perhaps a surveillance drone, depending on your perspective—in the algorithmic fog.



[![English cover of Superagency by Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato, with multicoloured lines rising into its title.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/2487943b-a99b-4fe4-b165-d531ee65f0c8_1196x1494.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xSPF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2487943b-a99b-4fe4-b165-d531ee65f0c8_1196x1494.png)



*Original English cover: “Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future”, by Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato. Hoffman is identified as “Co-founder of LinkedIn”; publisher: Authors Equity.*



**[Reid Hoffman](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid_Hoffman)**, the Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur who gave us LinkedIn—and therefore, as with any other social network, countless hours lost to endless scrolling—joins forces with the perceptive technology journalist **[Greg Beato](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Greg-Beato/227674477)**. **They offer neither a *Terminator* apocalypse nor a *Jetsons* paradise** (*Los supersónicos*, as the animated series was called in Spain). **Instead, they present a more nuanced vision, a sort of “optimism with an asterisk”, which they call the “bloomer” position**: someone who sees things flourishing, in contrast to “doomers”, the prophets of disaster; “gloomers”, critics favouring strict regulation; and “zoomers”, techno-utopians advocating radical innovation. **For the authors of *Superagency*, AI is neither a fleshless demon nor a digital messiah, but an immensely powerful tool capable of amplifying “human agency”**: that very human capacity to act, decide and, in general, create problems and opportunities in the world.



[![Four-part diagram of bloomers, doomers, gloomers and zoomers; all Spanish labels and descriptions are translated below.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/10bdfc94-00bd-4339-8b94-b3412fe8e6b3_1575x1600.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IS-f!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10bdfc94-00bd-4339-8b94-b3412fe8e6b3_1575x1600.png)



*Accessible translation of the diagram, “Perspectives on the future of AI”. Its four equal sectors represent viewpoints, not measured proportions:*



| Viewpoint | Description |

| --- | --- |

| Bloomers | Advocate a balanced, collaborative approach to AI development. |

| Doomers | Fear a dystopian future with misaligned, autonomous AI. |

| Gloomers | Focus on short-term risks and advocate strict control of AI. |

| Zoomers | Promote unrestricted innovation and autonomous AI development. |



**The book reminds us that technological panic is as old as technology itself.** The printing press, the telephone, industrial automation… all were proclaimed heralds of the end of civilisation as we knew it. And yes, they changed civilisation, but here we still are, typing reviews rather than carving clay tablets—although, to be honest, we sometimes miss the peace and quiet of a tablet, or at least a notebook.



## Superpowers and a techno-humanist compass



**The central thesis of *Superagency* is that AI can give us “superpowers”.** No, do not expect to fly or read minds. Not yet. But it does promise **to amplify our cognitive, creative and collaborative capabilities**. The authors imagine a future in which AI personalises education—goodbye, soporific lectures—accelerates medical research—perhaps, at last, a cure for Alzheimer’s and other diseases—and helps us make complex decisions. Should we invest in cryptocurrencies or postage stamps? AI might have the answer… or not.



**To navigate this uncertain future, Hoffman and Beato give us a “techno-humanist compass”.** It is no infallible GPS, but a conceptual guide to finding our way through the algorithmic labyrinth. **This compass points to three cardinal norths: equitable participation**, so that AI is not just for a few; **iterative deployment**, learning as we go, like good entrepreneurs; and **flexible global governance**, because the internet knows no borders, and neither do AI’s problems.



[![Diagram of three principles for navigating AI’s future: equitable participation, iterative deployment and flexible global governance.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/5233b605-6287-4774-b6ac-9a4713a6848f_1600x854.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gmTr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5233b605-6287-4774-b6ac-9a4713a6848f_1600x854.png)



*Accessible translation of the diagram, “How should we navigate AI’s future?”*



- **Equitable participation:** Ensures that AI is available and beneficial to everyone, not just a few.

- **Iterative deployment:** Enables continuous learning and adaptation in AI development.

- **Flexible global governance:** Addresses AI’s challenges through an adaptable approach without borders.



**The proposal for “iterative deployment” is particularly interesting. Rather than drowning us in a sea of premature and probably useless regulations—we hope the EU’s political leadership reads the book—it advocates a more agile approach: release AI into the world quickly, in small doses; observe what happens; learn from mistakes; and adjust course.** It is like testing new software, but with potentially much greater consequences. The idea is to avoid a rigid “master plan” and embrace adaptability.



**Yet *Superagency* is no uncritical hymn to technological optimism. The authors acknowledge the “superproblems” that come with superpowers:** threats to privacy, inequality, lack of transparency, the risk of AI becoming an instrument of control in the hands of a few… The book takes these issues seriously, though perhaps in a slightly less alarmist tone than other, more apocalyptic analyses. At times, one gets the impression that Hoffman, a true Silicon Valley insider who sees these technologies’ development and capabilities at close quarters, tends to see the glass as half full.



***Superagency* is stimulating reading for anyone who wants to understand, rather than simply fear, the possible direction of the AI revolution.** If you are among those who wake up in a cold sweat thinking about the machines rising up, *Superagency* offers an antidote: perhaps not a complete cure, but at least a technological tranquilliser. If, on the other hand, you expect flying cars and robot butlers by tomorrow morning, it supplies a necessary reality check—no cold water, we promise. Either way, ***Superagency* is an invitation to take an active part in the conversation about AI’s future**, to stop being mere spectators and become… well, “superagents” of our own technological destiny.



## Two very personal reflections



**To begin drawing this article to a close, two very personal reflections.**



**Although the book is interesting, it is the “typical” work of non-fiction by an American author: full of good ideas and enjoyable to read, but capable of condensing more than 200 pages into ten or twenty while keeping exactly the same arguments.** We would, admittedly, lose its interesting stories and examples, ranging from the development of the motor car in the United States and the Luddite movement in England to Orwell, access to psychological therapies and the development of GPS.



**This seems to be a book written primarily to defend a “political” thesis**, something particularly clear in the penultimate chapter, “The United States of A(I)Merica”. **Here, that means politicians and governments keeping an open mind and taking a measured regulatory approach, observing how AI develops rather than banning things in advance, before taking carefully judged action.** It would likewise have been absurd to ban cars or aircraft because they might one day be used in terrorist acts, without considering all the good and usefulness they bring. **While I essentially share the authors’ arguments about AI’s immense potential for good, and think the book is highly recommended reading for any politician, I also believe there are several better options for readers seeking a more general introduction to AI with a more practical focus.** These provide much broader context and perspective, and we have already reviewed them in this newsletter, especially ***[Co-Intelligence](https://estrategiabyaleph.substack.com/p/estrategia-38-descubra-las-cuatro)*** [by Ethan Mollick](https://estrategiabyaleph.substack.com/p/estrategia-38-descubra-las-cuatro).



**Finally, although I personally consider myself more of a bloomer than a doomer, here is an interesting last thought on the book from Harari**, the celebrated author of *Sapiens* and other works. **It appears in the book itself**: the publishers have included numerous VIP reviews in its closing pages and [on its website](https://www.superagency.ai/).



> “Superagency is a fascinating and insightful book, providing humanity with a bright vision for the age of AI. I disagree with some of its main arguments, but I nevertheless hope they are right. Read it and judge for yourself.”

>

> — Yuval Noah Harari



*Translation note: Harari’s quotation is reproduced in the English already present in the Spanish article. The review retains its February 2025 perspective.*



Fernando Nieto Lobato



*Director of Digital Innovation at Institución Educativa ALEPH*