We are entering a defining moment in human history where our understanding of intelligence itself is evolving.

For decades, artificial intelligence has captured the world’s imagination. In recent years, it has started to become embedded everywhere you look — from our fridges that predict what groceries we need, to algorithms that help airlines and hotels decide customized rates to charge potential customers.

Yet, in the race to build smarter machines, many of us seem to have forgotten to look inward to access the boundless intelligence that already exists within us.

Related: How to Access the Inner Power That Makes You Irreplaceable in an AI-Driven World

Absolute Intelligence

This deeper, innate intelligence, or the consciousness that perceives, creates and connects all experience, is what Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar calls Absolute Intelligence. It is the original source from which both human cognition and artificial intelligence emerge. Unlike the data-driven intelligence of algorithms, Absolute Intelligence transcends computation. It is awareness itself, the silent field from which creativity, empathy and insight arise.

Now, the Institute of Absolute Intelligence, launched by the Art of Living Foundation, is pioneering a bridge between this inner intelligence and the accelerating world of AI. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Institute seeks to reconnect people with the wellspring of awareness that powers both human and artificial cognition, reminding us that we are not separate from intelligence; we are intelligence.

Modern research supports this shift in understanding. The 2022 study “Supporting Cognition With Modern Technology: Distributed Cognition Today and in an AI-Enhanced Future,” published in Frontiers in Psychology, proposes that cognition is not confined to the brain; it is distributed across our environment, tools and relationships.

This means intelligence itself is not a fixed trait, but an emergent property of connection. When humans interact with technology, we co-create a cognitive system greater than the sum of its parts. AI, in this sense, is not a rival or something to be feared; it is an extension of our own distributed mind.

“With great power comes great responsibility,” wrote Voltaire in the 18^th century. As the potential impacts of AI grow, so does our collective responsibility. As technology continues to amplify our cognitive reach, we must ensure it also amplifies our humanity. It is here that Absolute Intelligence provides the missing compass. It is a reminder that consciousness precedes code, and that ethical, compassionate design begins with inner clarity.

Related: Forget AI Prompts. Here Are 5 Ways to Tap Into Your Inner Intelligence Instead.

The paradox of cognitive offloading

The 2022 study referenced above also highlights a fascinating phenomenon known as cognitive offloading — our growing tendency to delegate thinking tasks to technology. From using smartphones to navigate a drive we make daily, to storing reminders or tracking our health, we are externalizing more aspects of our memory and decision-making.

This allows individuals to function as “always-updated knowledge professionals,” strategically deploying insight while conserving mental bandwidth. Yet, this convenience carries a paradox: The more we offload, the more we risk diminishing the very faculties that make us uniquely human: Our intuition, discernment and capacity for deep focus.

Being able to harness and nurture our Absolute Intelligence helps address this paradox of cognitive outsourcing and offers a counterbalance to technological dependence by strengthening the internal architecture of awareness itself. By tapping into meditation, self-awareness and breathwork practices such as Sudarshan Kriya (SKY), we strengthen our inner clarity and stay in charge of our own minds.

At its core, the Institute of Absolute Intelligence explores how spiritual wisdom and cognitive science converge. Its programs include immersive experiences and “life-scan consultations” that help individuals perceive patterns across past, present and future decisions, much like how AI systems process large data sets to forecast outcomes. Yet, unlike algorithms, these experiences operate on intuition and awareness rather than data alone.

Related: Is Artificial Intelligence Replacing Your Intelligence?

The path forward

As AI becomes more embedded in our everyday lives, we need to learn to work with it, not against it. We need to shift from being observers of intelligence to realizing we are the source of intelligence. This philosophy echoes what many cognitive scientists are beginning to recognize: that intelligence may be less about thinking and more about being.

When Gurudev introduced Sudarshan Kriya (SKY) breathwork to millions, he showed that calmness and clarity are not abstract ideals; they are trainable, attainable states. The Institute of Absolute Intelligence now builds on that legacy, teaching how to access the “source code” of awareness itself. The institute invites scientific inquiry and exploration to unveil new dimensions of human potential.

In my work with leaders and organizations, I have seen that decision-making, creativity and resilience all improve when the mind operates from a place of inner coherence. Absolute Intelligence is not mystical; it’s practical. It is the optimization of the most advanced system we know: the human mind.

In a world captivated by AI’s relentless progress, the next great innovation will need to imbibe a human awakening to ensure societies thrive and flourish. The Institute of Absolute Intelligence reminds us that the evolution of AI must be matched by an evolution of consciousness.

We have built machines that learn faster than ever before. Now it’s time to remember and nurture the one thing no algorithm can replicate: awareness itself.