Currently, I view LLMs as huge enablers. They helped me create a side-project alongside my primary job, and they make development and almost anything related to knowledge work more interesting. I don't think they made me think less; rather, they made me think a lot more, work more, and absorb significantly more information. But I am a senior, motivated, curious, and skilled engineer with 15+ years of IT, Enterprise Networking, and Development experience.
There are a number of ways one can use this technology. You can use it as an enabler, or you can use it for cheating. The education system needs to adapt rapidly to address the challenges that are coming, which is often a significant issue (particularly in countries like Hungary). For example, consider an exam where you are allowed to use AI (similar to open-book exams), but the exam is designed in such a way that it is sufficiently difficult, so you can only solve it (even with AI assistance) if you possess deep and broad knowledge of the domain or topic. This is doable. Maybe the scoring system will be different, focusing not just on whether the solution works, but also on how elegant it is. Or, in the Creator domain, perhaps the focus will be on whether the output is sufficiently personal, stylish, or unique.
I tend to think current LLMs are more like tools and enablers. I believe that every area of the world will now experience a boom effect and accelerate exponentially.
When superintelligence arrives—and let's say it isn't sentient but just an expert system—humans will still need to chart the path forward and hopefully control it in such a way that it remains a tool, much like current LLMs.
So yes, education, broad knowledge, and experience are very important. We must teach our children to use this technology responsibly. Because of this acceleration, I don't think the age of AI will require less intelligent people. On the contrary, everything will likely become much more complex and abstract, because every knowledge worker (who wants to participate) will be empowered to do more, build more, and imagine more.