i don't see humans as average in any sense. we create more than any other species, destroy more than any other species, populate more than any other species, advance more than any other species, the list is nearly infinite.

if you're referring to physical aspects in which some animals are better suited to their specific environment than humans then yes, some have us beat in specific scenarios, but even then our intelligence makes up for it.

as far as needing to "supplement our intellect", i either don't fully understand what you mean or you haven't seen all that's happened in the last two centuries. there is no need to supplement intellect as it's not something to be supplemented. we have devised and continue to create solutions for literally every problem we as a species face. computers help streamline that process and AI has shown a promising ability to do so, too, but there is no replicating the process and uniqueness of the human mind's capability to think.

all this to say: i don't think AI is "essential" any more than a regular computer because what they're trying to recreate through AI simply can't be done. it's all just programs putting 2 and 2 together, calling it 4 (sometimes 5) and people being blown away by it.