OpenAI’s ChatGPT model, dubbed o3, just aced the Norway Mensa test with an IQ of 136—yeah, that’s higher than 98% of us mere mortals. Not bad for a glorified autocomplete, huh? This isn’t just a win for AI; it’s a wake-up call. A quarter of Gen Z now thinks AI’s got a soul, thanks to a survey by EduBirdie. Half are betting on it gaining consciousness sooner or later. Talk about high expectations!
But let’s pump the brakes a sec. That Mensa test was out in the wild, so who’s to say o3 didn’t just memorize the answers? Cue the researchers at MaximumTruth.org, who threw an offline IQ test at it—no cheating possible. o3 still scored 116, landing it in the top 15%. Smart? Absolutely. Sentient? Not even close.
Flashback to a year ago, and AI was struggling to hit an IQ of 90, tripping over spatial reasoning like a toddler in a maze. Fast forward, and models like o3, Claude, and Gemini are outsmarting humans left and right. It’s all software upgrades, no puberty required—which is either cool or creepy, depending on who you ask.
Gen Z’s been chatting with digital assistants since they could talk, so it’s no surprise they’re blurring the lines. EduBirdie found 70% say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to AI, two-thirds let it handle their work emails, and some are spilling their deepest secrets to it. When AI talks back like a human, it’s easy to forget it’s just code.
Here’s the kicker: IQ doesn’t mean consciousness. AI can solve your math homework and fake empathy like a pro, but it doesn’t ‘get’ anything. It’s all smoke and mirrors—impressive, sure, but let’s not confuse clever programming with a mind of its own. As we ride this AI rollercoaster, keeping reality in check is key. Marvel at the tech, but remember: intelligence isn’t the same as being alive.
