nenspace Uses 1998 'Extended Mind' Philosophy to Frame AI as a Thinking Tool
nenspace, a productivity app founded by Sam Morris, is built on the philosophical concept of the 'Extended Mind,' introduced by Andy Clark and David Chalmers in 1998, which argues that external tools can become genuine parts of human cognition. The theory centers on Otto, a fictional character whose notebook functions as an extension of his memory because it is reliably available and consistently used. Morris argues that conversational AI and personal note tools face a key design challenge: making useful thoughts as dependably retrievable as Otto's notebook. While tools like Obsidian, Notion, and ChatGPT help store and organize information, simply saving content does not guarantee it will be found or acted upon when needed. nenspace attempts to address this through a workflow combining AI dialogue with an editable personal space, though the article acknowledges this remains a design ambition rather than a proven cognitive benefit.
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