The concept of the extended mind and artificial intelligence: the problem of human creativity
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2026.18337Abstract
The concept of the extended mind was developed by Andy Clark and David Chalmers in the 1990s. Scholars have repeatedly interpreted this concept and elaborated on its various aspects. This article addresses technological aspects of the extension by focusing attention on the complementary action (called augmentation) of artificial intelligence on the human mind and its consequences. While some of them result from the possibility of expanding human cognition, others concern agency, including moral agency. Extension in this context means restoration of the abilities that the human being has lost or equipping man with new competences. Developed within the philosophy of the human mind, the concept of the extended mind can be applied to reflections within the philosophy of technology, especially as our understanding of the correlation between man and the tools he uses is becoming clearer. Artificial intelligence is an artifact that expands and complements human thinking and acting in the context of collecting and organizing information. Importantly, artificial intelligence can significantly complement human creativity in the operational and combination dimension; moreover, it can suggest new and unconventional solutions. Artificial intelligence should be treated as a human creation, operating on the basis of the observed model of human skills and tasks formulated by the programmer or designer. We should also characterize the threats to the risks associated with artificial intelligence development and analyze the possibility of creating ethical use of artificial intelligence-equipped artifacts, including ChatGPT.
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artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, creativity, extented mind, new competenciesHow to Cite
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Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s). Published by Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.