I'd look at ant species rather than ants.

Note that ants don't directly compete for a niche with humans.

And megacolony species such as the Argentine ant are displacing other ant species.

No species the size of ants can ever smelt steel. They are not competitors for humans to become Earth's technological primary species.

Have you read City? (Not that it's seriously making an argument the other way.)

Arguing that smelting steel is the key thing is the typical, we're good at this therefore this is what matters argument we've been making since time immemorial.

Humans can't sneak into other organism's bodies and take over their DNA (yet, to be sure) but viruses can, so humans just don't have a real shot.

1. Ants are not, technically, apes.

2. Ant biomass is about the same as human biomass on Earth.

3. Typical human mass is 60kg, typical ant mass is 3mg.

4. Do the math.

Just one zero who makes many appearances.