The first part of this article makes the case that human cognition is an intergenerational project enabled by the inheritance and bequeathal of cognitive technology (Sects. 2–4). The final two sections of the article (Sects. 5 and 6) explore the normative significance of this claim. My case for the intergenerational claim draws results from multiple disciplines: philosophy (Sect. 2), cultural evolutionary approaches in cognitive science (Sect. 3), and developmental psychology and neuroscience (Sect. 4). In Sect. 5, I propose that cognitive (...) technology should be given to future generations in accordance with principles of pluralism and transparency. In the final main section of the article, Sect. 6, I apply these principles to topics such as the preservation of information, environmental offloading of cognition, and thinking itself. (shrink)

Applications of artificial intelligence (AI) bear great transformative potential in the economic, technological and social sectors, impacting especially future work environments. Ethical regulation of AI requires a relational understanding of the technology by relevant stakeholder groups such as researchers, developers, politicians, civil servants, affected workers or other users applying AI in their work processes. The purpose of this paper is to support relational AI discourse for an improved ethical framing and regulation of the technology. The argumentation emphasizes a widespread reembodied (...) understanding of AI technology as critical requirement for capable ethical and regulatory frameworks. A sociotechnical perspective encourages the material interpretation of AI as reembodied adaptation of biological intelligence. Reviewing Cartesian dualism as motivating the disembodiment of human intelligence for its transfer to machines, the argumentation develops an integrated embodiment concept of AI in its mechanistic, naturalistic, combined AI and neuroethical, and relational contexts. This concept is discussed in relation to basic phenomenological and postphenomenological assumptions, and is applied to the example of AI-based neurotechnology potentially disrupting future work processes. Strengthening a human-centered approach, the presented concept for a reembodied understanding of AI technology enables better integrated ethical and regulatory debates, and improves social discourse and human agency in developing and regulating AI technology. (shrink)