The Field Guide to Thinking for Ourselves in the Age of AI
The NYC and LA school districts ban generative AI. Stanford University launches a Cognitive Security Task Force. The tech billionaires are waxing rapturous about a world in which intelligence is as available as electricity...but we can't tell if that's sinister or not. Underneath fears about rogue AI, labor market collapse and gradual disempowerment, there's a deeper worry: As machines become more capable, will humans be able to keep thinking for ourselves? And what does that really mean, anyways?
It's a complicated question, but we have answers. The Field Guide to Thinking for Ourselves will take you on a tour of all the problems, solutions, domains and people associated with thinking in the age of AI. For AI novices and skeptics, the goal is to get you comfortable with the lingo and able to form your own opinions, even as the AI discourse gets louder. For AI safety folks, the goal is to get you to think a little bit more about the human systems in which AI operates, and maybe come out of it feeling a little more empowered. And for funders, well, the goal is to help you avoid funding things that damage human autonomy and cognitive agency, and start funding things that help humans learn, create, decide and coordinate even as AI advances. It's no big deal, but thinking for ourselves underpins everything from the strength of democracies to resisting the machine empire. So no matter what you do in your day job, this Guide should have a little something for everyone!
The Guide is machine-assisted but 100% human curated and written. We aim to add new parts every other Wednesday. If you'd like to contribute to the guide, we'd love to talk; tell us what you're thinking here.
What Words Are We Using? The "Cognitives"
Let's start with the lingo. This remark explains four common terms about human cognition and AI, plus takes a quick tour through the blurry Venn diagram of agency and autonomy. If you delight in diction or just want to be precise, definitely start here.
What Words Are We Using? The "Neurorights"
We dive a little further into the concept of cognitive liberty and take a quick tour of the neurorights. If you're curious about legal philosophy and brain zappers, this one's for you.
Are the Kids All Right? AI and Education
For most of us, thinking for ourselves starts with being taught. But how will that change when machines get involved? This post takes you through the good, the bad and the wicked of AI in the classroom.
In Theory: Dyads
How are people formalizing the interaction between human and machine? I know, I know, it's a bit dry – but without theories, frameworks and benchmarks, terms like "cognitive agency" are just words. Stop here to get familiar with the pre- and post-LLM lingo you'll need for the rest of the guide.