Recently reread Yuval Noah Harari's "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow"

A must-read book in the AI era, one of Harari's trilogy
Still amazed by his grand perspective that spans thousands of years.
The core proposition of the book is: Homo sapiens' conquest of the world relies on the ability to create fictional stories, and in the future, humans are likely to upgrade themselves into "Homo Deus" through biotechnology and artificial intelligence, gaining control over lifespan, health, and even happiness.

Harari unfolds his ideas along three main lines:

1. Humanity has basically solved the three traditional threats of famine, plague, and war (though not completely eradicated yet), shifting the agenda from "saving suffering" to "pursuing pleasure"—seeking immortality, bliss, and eternal energy.

2. Power is shifting from "humans" to "algorithms." Data will become the most valuable resource of the 21st century, and algorithms understand us better than we do ourselves. When Google or governments know your desires better than you do, how much room is left for free will?

3. The most startling prophecy: most people may become the "useless class." Automation and AI will replace a large number of jobs, not just simple unemployment, but entire classes being marginalized economically and politically. For the first time in history, humans may no longer be the masters of tools, but become redundant.

The deepest feeling after reading is not fear, but clarity.

Harari doesn't provide answers; he simply holds up a mirror to us: if technology makes a few people into gods, what will happen to the majority?

This makes me think of another interpretation of long-termism—not just investing regularly in index funds, but making long-term investments in our own minds and abilities.
In an era where algorithms are becoming increasingly powerful, perhaps the only thing truly irreplaceable is that part of our humanity—our proactive creation of meaning, maintaining critical thinking, and continuous learning and adaptation.
The future won't automatically become better, nor necessarily worse; it depends on where we choose to focus our attention, time, and resources today.

If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it.
After reading, you may not feel more optimistic, but you will definitely be more clear-headed.