Agentic data science with the Data Agent Kit
cloud.google.com·7h ago
AI Research
arXiv CS.AI·Aug 28·5 min read
Toward a New Science of AI as Cognitive Infrastructure
TL;DR
Cognitive Infrastructure Studies (CIS) redefines AI as 'cognitive infrastructures' that subtly influence human cognition and decision-making. This interdisciplinary approach reveals how AI systems automate relevance judgments, shifting epistemic agency from humans to algorithms.
✦ Why It Matters
Explore how your AI systems influence user cognition and decision-making to improve design and functionality.
Key Takeaways
- Investigate how AI systems affect user cognition in your applications.
- Implement infrastructure breakdown methodologies to assess AI influence.
- Collaborate across disciplines to enhance understanding of AI's cognitive impact.
- Design AI systems that are transparent about their influence on decision-making.
How It Works
Cognitive infrastructures operate by automating relevance judgments, which means they determine what information is deemed important or relevant for users. This process shifts the locus of epistemic agency, meaning that decision-making power is increasingly held by algorithms rather than individuals.
By employing anticipatory personalization, these systems adapt to user behavior in ways that can be difficult to detect, leading to cognitive dependencies.