Shifting boundaries, extended minds: ambient technology and extended allostatic control

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Philosophy of Mind
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Ambient smart environments are characterized by background, networked technology that learns user behavior.
• Classical extended mind theories, focusing on 'trust and glue,' are insufficient for these environments.
• Active inference offers a framework for understanding cognition as embodied uncertainty minimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-evaluate the extended mind thesis in the context of ambient smart environments.
• To propose a new model of the extended mind grounded in process ontology and active inference.
• To conceptualize ambient smart environments as extended allostatic control systems.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of ambient smart environments through the lens of classical extended mind theories.
• Application of the active inference framework to model cognition in these environments.
• Development of a process ontology for understanding the shifting boundaries of the extended mind.

Main Results:

• Classical extended mind conditions ('trust and glue,' phenomenal transparency) do not adequately describe engagement with ambient smart environments.
• A process ontology allows for a more fluid understanding of the extended mind's boundaries.
• Ambient smart environments function as extended allostatic control systems.

Conclusions:

• Ambient smart environments extend the agent's capacity for uncertainty minimization across multiple timescales.
• This work presents a novel, process-based version of the extended mind thesis.
• The findings offer a new framework for understanding the cognitive role of pervasive computing environments.