The question of whether there were other intelligent life forms in the universe before humans emerged is a matter of speculation and scientific investigation. Given the vast size and age of the universe, it is plausible that intelligent life could have existed before humans.
However, our current knowledge and understanding of the universe are limited. While we have made significant progress in discovering exoplanets and understanding the conditions necessary for life as we know it, we have not yet found definitive evidence of extraterrestrial intelligent civilizations.
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is an ongoing scientific effort to detect signals or signs of intelligent life beyond Earth. Radio waves have been one of the methods used for communication, but the field is expanding to explore other possibilities, such as searching for technosignatures or indirect signs of technology.
It is important to acknowledge the vastness of the universe and the potential for life to have arisen and evolved elsewhere. However, until concrete evidence is obtained, the existence of intelligent life prior to humans is speculative and subject to ongoing scientific investigation and exploration.