I recently came across a gripping scene in the latest Netflix documentary Britain and the Blitz, which premiered on May 5, 2025, and it immediately caught my attention. The documentary, produced by 72 Films, offers an immersive look at WWII Britain during the Blitz, using vividly restored archival footage and firsthand accounts. One particular moment stood out: a scene set in a Royal Air Force (RAF) operations room, where WAAF personnel are seen plotting aircraft movements on a gridded map while an officer commands, “Have a check on the speed of fighter 182.” This depiction of human intelligence under pressure inspired me to explore how far we’ve come in augmenting our capabilities for critical situations—and how this aligns with the futuristic vision of my book series, Agentic Species.
For those interested in watching this powerful documentary, you can stream Britain and the Blitz on Netflix here. Below is a scene shot from the documentary that captures the intensity of the RAF operations room, with a copyright note to Netflix and 72 Films. I’ll be tagging @Netflix and @72Films on social media to amplify the reach of this post—join the conversation and let’s discuss how history informs our future!
Image Description: A group of RAF personnel, including WAAF members, are gathered around a large gridded map, plotting aircraft positions with markers. The subtitle reads, “[officer] Have a check on the speed of fighter 182.” Copyright: © 2025 Netflix, Inc. and 72 Films. All rights reserved.
Welcome to another chapter in my exploration of the Agentic Species universe, a concept I’m weaving into a series of books that imagine a future where AI-powered humanoids, near-real animals, and creatures on land, in oceans, and in space become integral to our lives. These entities will work alongside us, facilitate our endeavors, and sometimes—when in the wrong hands—challenge us in ways we can’t yet predict. In this blog series, I aim to prove that we are hurtling toward this future at an astonishing speed, driven by the latest developments in AI technology. Today, we’ll dive into how human intelligence is being augmented and enhanced to excel in critical situations, using the historical context of the RAF operations room from Britain and the Blitz as a starting point, examining where we are now, and projecting where we might be in 200 to 300 years.
How It Was: Human Intelligence Under Pressure in the 1940s
Fast forward to today, May 23, 2025. The landscape of critical decision-making has transformed dramatically, thanks to AI augmentation. Let’s consider a modern equivalent of the RAF operations room: a military command center or an air traffic control hub. Instead of manual plotting, we now have AI systems that integrate data from satellites, radar, drones, and IoT sensors in real time. These systems can process vast amounts of data—far beyond human capacity—and provide actionable insights instantly. For instance, AI algorithms can calculate the speed, trajectory, and potential threats posed by an aircraft like “fighter 182” in milliseconds, presenting the information to human operators via augmented reality (AR) displays or heads-up interfaces.
How It Is Today: AI-Augmented Intelligence in 2025
Fast forward to today, May 23, 2025. The landscape of critical decision-making has transformed dramatically, thanks to AI augmentation. Let’s consider a modern equivalent of the RAF operations room: a military command center or an air traffic control hub. Instead of manual plotting, we now have AI systems that integrate data from satellites, radar, drones, and IoT sensors in real time. These systems can process vast amounts of data—far beyond human capacity—and provide actionable insights instantly. For instance, AI algorithms can calculate the speed, trajectory, and potential threats posed by an aircraft like “fighter 182” in milliseconds, presenting the information to human operators via augmented reality (AR) displays or heads-up interfaces.
A notable example is the U.S. military’s use of AI in systems like the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), which connects sensors and shooters across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains. AI not only tracks assets but also predicts enemy movements using machine learning models trained on historical and real-time data. In civilian applications, air traffic control systems like the FAA’s NextGen program use AI to optimize flight paths, reduce delays, and enhance safety, even during high-stress scenarios like severe weather or emergencies.
Human intelligence is now augmented by AI’s ability to handle data overload, reduce cognitive fatigue, and offer predictive analytics. For example, during a crisis, an AI system can simulate multiple scenarios (e.g., “What if fighter 182 slows down?”) and recommend the best course of action, allowing human operators to focus on strategic decisions rather than data crunching. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), such as those being developed by Neuralink, are also beginning to enhance human cognition by enabling faster information processing and direct interaction with AI systems. In 2025, we’re seeing the early stages of a symbiotic relationship between humans and AI, where our intelligence is amplified to handle critical situations with unprecedented precision.
How It Will Be: The Agentic Species Universe in 2225–2325
Now, let’s project 200 to 300 years into the future, to the years 2225–2325, where the Agentic Species universe comes to life. By this time, human intelligence will have evolved into a seamless fusion with AI, giving rise to a new paradigm of augmented cognition that transcends our current understanding. In critical situations, humans will no longer be limited by biological constraints. Neural augmentation, powered by advanced BCIs and quantum computing, will allow us to process information at the speed of thought, interfacing directly with AI systems embedded in our bodies and environments.
Imagine a future operations room—not a physical space, but a virtual construct accessed via neural implants. AI-enabled humanoids and near-real creatures, inspired by animals but enhanced with synthetic biology and nanotechnology, will serve as our partners. In the air, bioengineered drones resembling birds will patrol the skies, relaying data to human-AI hybrids who oversee global defense networks. In the oceans, AI-powered aquatic creatures will monitor ecosystems and defend against threats, while in space, humanoid robots will collaborate with us to manage interplanetary operations. These entities, part of the Agentic Species ecosystem, will be equipped with their own AI-driven intelligence, capable of autonomous decision-making but integrated with human oversight.
In this future, critical situations—like intercepting an enemy spacecraft or responding to a planetary crisis—will be managed by a collective intelligence that blends human intuition, AI analytics, and the sensory capabilities of agentic creatures. For example, if “fighter 182” were a spacecraft in 2325, its speed, trajectory, and potential threats would be analyzed not just by AI, but by a network of space-dwelling creatures that sense electromagnetic disturbances, feeding data to a human-AI hybrid commander who makes the final call. The line between human and machine will blur, creating a new form of intelligence that is distributed, resilient, and capable of operating across multiple domains simultaneously.
However, this future also brings challenges. As I explore in my Agentic Species series, these AI-enabled entities could fall into the wrong hands, leading to conflicts where humans and their creations must fight against rogue agentic species. Ethical dilemmas will arise: How much autonomy do we grant these creatures? What happens when their intelligence surpasses ours? The future will be a delicate balance of collaboration and control, as we navigate a universe where AI and humanity are irrevocably intertwined.
Conclusion: The Path to an AI-Driven Universe
From the manual plotting tables of 1940, as seen in Britain and the Blitz, to the AI-augmented command centers of 2025, we are already witnessing the rapid evolution of human intelligence in critical situations. In 200 to 300 years, the Agentic Species universe will take this evolution to new heights, where AI-enabled humanoids and creatures become our partners, protectors, and sometimes adversaries. The latest developments in AI technology—such as real-time data processing, predictive analytics, and neural augmentation—are propelling us toward this future at an astonishing speed. As we move forward, the challenge will be to harness these advancements responsibly, ensuring that the universe we create is one where humanity thrives alongside its agentic counterparts.
Stay tuned for the next blog in this series, where I’ll explore how AI is transforming our relationship with the natural world, bringing us closer to a future where synthetic and organic life coexist. Until then, let me know your thoughts—how do you envision humanity’s role in the Agentic Species universe? And if you haven’t yet, check out Britain and the Blitz on Netflix to see the historical roots of this incredible journey.
Parthys Kain
Author, Innovator, Visionary