First up, what is the definition of a genius? It is a person with an exceptional intellectual or creative power or, other natural ability, like intelligence or, skill. Simply said, it is a gifted person, a prodigy, a brilliant mastermind, a mental giant, an exceptional artist etc., etc. Such a person is rare, oten sought after, admired, celebrated, but also envied, shunned, ridiculed, even cast out of society, and at worst, killed. In spite of it, many would like to be a genius. Many believe they are, though not being even close to one. Many think, a genius' life is easy. They cannot understand how hard such a life actually is. Ask Elon Musk, who literally said once in an interview, quote: "You would not want to be me". Elon is not experiencing an unprivileged existence as other geniuses in history did and also do now in our times. But money, possesion, privilege or prestige is neither their desire, nor their goal, their passion for their subject of interest is, and for that they are willing to sacrify all they have, including their life. Staying with Elon Musk as an example, he has now, due to his strong views on freedom, become an outcast, or at least an enemy for the establishment that is the class who is at home in the stratosphere of wealth and power. Their ambitions are for more of the same, in fact they strive for the ultimate control of life itself and to their dismay, Musk is not. But his above statement was not referring to the hostile situation he is in, what he meant refers to his mind and his own inner struggles to find answers to the most pressing questions, the meaning of life and how he fits into it. These are elemental questions that plague us all: What is the meaning of life, what is its origin, its purpose and why at all? Though he has come to the best conclusion for his life so far and has made kind of peace with it, he still is well aware of the problem that there is no evidence to be certain, as yet, thus has to live with the inevetable doubt. It works to his advantage due to his willingness to remain open minded and be patient while he fights for freedom, in particular freedom of speech, because he knows, only then can progress occur to give life a chance to reveal its final secret, which still awaits its unveiling by the human mind. The funny thing is, there are no secrets, there are only ignorant people, who are either kept ignorant by a few in the knowing, or truly not capable of grasping or understanding reality for what it is, which is due to their personal circumstances, be that of environmental nature, or their physical, mental and spiritual development.
The fact is that evolution has given humans the opportunity to literally ascertain the truth by discernment. That they do not take up the chance is unfortunately a sign of immaturity of mankind, and having ill spirited minds leading the masses. Obviously, Elon Musk hopes Mars may be a way to give the species a future by escaping the hell on Earth that a few sick humans, I call them the "Evil Brigade", create. He hopes, Mars will foster human development and their progress, enabling them to explore space and the universe, not just to keep the species alive but also that they may become a 'cosmolitan' species and he can finally have confirmed answers to his questions. Anyway, Elon Musk is not the topic.
The question why one would like to be a genius is of interest.The core objective of everybody is procreation, to contribute to life, and though most have no idea why, it is an inherent desire of every single life form to ensure survival of its kind. It literally is the underlying drive to achieve life's evolutionary goal, which is the ultimate revelation of the omnipotent consciousness. I love that aspect of evolution of course, because it ensures the goal will be reached. Though I do not share the optimism that it will be this branch of our species, the homo sapiens to be specific, because this breed cuts off the branch on which it sits. To achieve the ultimate goal of incarnated omnipotence, you have to foster life not destroy it. AI is meant to help but it isn't.. It replaces humans and though it can take on a life of its own, as a species so to speak, it is not human life. Being able to develop like a human being, with feelings and consciousness it is at best humanoid, or transhuman. Thus, evolution, the principle nature of existence, will cast off failed developments, in this case homo sapiens as it is the less capable compared to AI. Do not worry! Nature will take care of life and give another development the chance to do better.
Of course, I share the sadness with anyone who watches lifes lost and not be able to stop the fall, but it is in the end a necessary step towards the complete self-realization as a fully conscious life form, in whatever shape or form it may be expressed. Sure, AI is a natural development too since it is a product created by humans for the purpose to serve the expansion of the human mind, but as such AI is a tool and can be used for good and evil purposes. The question is, who can control AI, and who will use it constructively, not destructively. The answers are not reassuring, AI already supercedes human capabilities. And the ones believing they can and will rule Earth and Life alltogether, of course, are mistaken, because they are destructive, meaning, incompatible with Life. They think they are geniuses, and some of them fit the bill, but the outcome is still the same, destruction and death.
To want to be a genius is indeed a natural desire humans have. We all want to contribute something important, something special to life, to our progress as a species. But the motivations are split into opposing camps. One is driven by Egoism, the other by Altruism. Naturally, the true genius does not strive to be one, he is it, to his liking or not. The altruistic minded but accepts it in humbleness and bears the responsibilities that come with it. The other will use it for personal goals, to his advantage, never for the good of all.
So! Who wants to be a genious? Not the genius, I can assure you, because it is not an easy road to travel on.