Could humans be the first intelligent species in the universe?

Yes — humans could be among the first intelligent species to arise in the universe, but we cannot say that confidently.

A few reasons make the idea plausible:

1. The universe is very old, but it may still have a very long future.
   Astronomers estimate the universe is about 13.8 billion years old, and star formation may continue for trillions of years. If so, intelligent life could still be early in the universe’s total timeline.

2. The ingredients for rocky planets had to be built first.
   Elements such as carbon, oxygen, silicon, and iron were made in earlier generations of stars. Very early in cosmic history, those materials were scarce, so life-friendly planets may have been rarer.

3. We have no confirmed evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence.
   That absence is sometimes discussed in connection with the Fermi paradox, but it does not prove humans are first.

4. We can only observe a limited region of the universe.
   Because the universe is expanding, there are regions beyond our cosmic horizon that light from them can never reach us. If intelligent life exists far enough away, we may never be able to detect it.

So the best short answer is: yes, it is possible that humans are among the first intelligent species in the observable universe, but we do not have enough evidence to say we are actually the first. And even if other intelligent species exist, some could be forever beyond our observable horizon.