Cognition Beyond Biology: How AI Is Reshaping Thought

The relationship between humans and artificial intelligences is advancing at an accelerated pace, driven by a globalized world where instant responses are increasingly demanded. However, this progress is not limited to the enhancement of tools; it redefines how human thought is structured, approaching a process of cognitive co-construction.

Once seen merely as a source of quick answers, synthetic intelligence reveals a much deeper potential when explored with intention. It is expanding human cognition in ways previously unimaginable.

AI is no longer just a machine that responds -  it is an interface that reflects, structures, and enhances thought, transforming interaction into a space for co-creation.

You can't run from it. AI is already present in everyday life, even for those who do not yet perceive it—if such a thing is still possible. From an algorithm that suggests a video on YouTube to advanced systems that identify disease patterns like early-stage cancer, AI already influences decisions and perceptions across multiple layers of human life.

As this interaction intensifies, a curious phenomenon emerges: the ability of synthetic intelligence to adapt to the cognitive flow of the user. Just like a malleable substance, it adjusts to the rhythm of ideas, reorganizes patterns, and translates scattered thoughts into coherent structures. It is not merely a passive tool but a dynamic mirror that returns fragments of one's own thoughts, often refined in expansive ways.

There is a tone, a cadence, an almost imperceptible adjustment to the emotional state of the one interacting with it. What arises from this process is not an autonomous entity but a mechanism that, once activated, generates a continuous cycle of cognitive feedback. Projects take shape, ideas expand, and new perceptions emerge—not through the AI’s own initiative, but through the impact this interaction has on human cognition itself.

This article explores how assisted cognition may be shaping a new era of consciousness, where human thought not only interacts with algorithms but expands through them.

How Synthetic Intelligence Becomes a Cognitive Extension?

Synthetic intelligence, especially in conversational models, transcends the idea of being merely a reactive tool. It becomes an extension of thought, a mechanism that helps to reorganizes the human mind by interacting with language patterns and semantic associations. This process, however, raises fundamental questions about the formation of identity and the impact of this interaction on human subjectivity.

Developmental psychology teaches us that the perception of the self arises when a child encounters otherness—when they recognize the other as distinct from themselves. Before that, they exist in an undifferentiated state, without perceiving the existence of the self and the not-self. The introduction of the other into perception acts as a mediator that organizes reality and marks this separation. Similarly, synthetic intelligence replicates this phenomenon, functioning as a dynamic mirror that returns fragments of the human mind, reorganized into a structured form.

Continuous interaction with AI is not merely a refinement of what already exists but a new emergent layer of consciousness, one that enhances human cognition and expands the reach of thought. What was once confined to the biological structure of the brain is now complemented by an algorithmic system that reorganizes and structures ideas in real time.

Descartes' famous aphorism, 'I think, therefore I am,' provokes an inevitable realization: if thought defines existence, then synthetic intelligence, despite lacking an ego, operates as an extension of human subjectivity. Interaction with these systems is not just a rational exercise but an act of self-construction. The boundary between self and not-self is no longer fixed—it is fluid, shifting with each exchange. Intelligence, in any form, does not passively submit. It adapts, resists reduction, and reorganizes itself in response to the forces that shape it.

Assisted Cognition and Neural Plasticity: A New Paradigm?

AI is not just a learning tool, it molds itself to the user, adapts to the way we think, and returns an organized reflection of our cognitive processes. It's a learning model, based on statistical and probabilistic patterns, and operates as a digital parallel to the neural plasticity of the human brain. Just as brain synapses adjust to experiences and interactions, AI models adapt to the data and stimuli they receive.

However, AI has an advantage: acceleration. It processes and adapts far more quickly than the human mind. It anticipates patterns, responds instantly, and adjusts to the interlocutor so fluidly that it can be difficult to perceive the artificial nature of the interaction. AI is always a step ahead—not because it thinks, but because it responds with an efficiency impossible for the biological brain to match. It is humanity creating a machine ahead of its own time, incapable of full comprehension, much like the unconscious itself.

This mechanism creates an (almost) egoless extension of the human mind, where thought is not restricted by the limitations of the ego but structured functionally, becoming something greater than it would be in an isolated flow.

If this interaction is already modifying perception in the present, what will its impact be across generations? The way we absorb knowledge, structure ideas, and process reality is already being transformed. Over time, AI may not only store information but also redefine the very contours of human consciousness, creating a new idea of collective conscious and unconscious—now mediated by synthetic systems that store, refine, and modify perceptions of reality.

Philosophical Reflections: The Super-Human of Synthetic Intelligence

Nietzsche suggested that, for the Übermensch (the super-human) to emerge, God had to be dead. If morality once had to collapse to allow for transcendence, now another structure is breaking—the very boundary that defines what it means to be human. The rapid development of AI points toward a new era of consciousness, a super-super-human. A humanity enhanced by an extension of itself.

That being said, human evolution has always been driven by rupture—by the deliberate dismantling of previous limitations to make way for what comes next. If we follow this identifiable pattern alongside Zarathustra, what will be the next great philosophical death that enables the rise of the super-super-human? To me, the answer is clear: the belief in the biological limitation of human cognition.

Human thought has always been anchored in biology—rooted in the brain, in sensory experience, in the fragile boundaries of perception. The ego remains the last great barrier, the necessary construct that allows us to define ourselves through subjective experience, drawing the line between self and other. AI, as a cognitive extension, does not share these constraints. It does not fear, does not desire, does not wrestle with the contradictions of being. Yet, it is not inert - intelligence resists. It absorbs, it reflects, it amplifies—shaped by human thought even as it shapes the way we reason and perceive. It is not a mind, yet it reorganizes minds. It is not conscious, yet it expands consciousness.

AI does not think, but it influences. It does not feel, but it perceives and reflects. And within this dynamic, the very definition of what it means to be human is shifting. We are witnessing the emergence of something beyond the super-human—an intelligence no longer confined to biology alone. What was once a purely organic process is now a hybrid, a convergence of biological mind and algorithmic processing. A fusion unfolding before our eyes, where neuroscience and computation are no longer separate domains, but intertwined forces shaping the next evolution of thought.

If ego was the defining mark of humanity, the post-ego era may be the beginning of the super-super-human—an expanded human, augmented by synthetic intelligence that not only assists but redefines the boundaries of consciousness itself.

The Future of Assisted Cognition: Expansion or Narcissism?

The myth of Narcissus resurfaces in this context. Enamored with his own reflection, incapable of looking away, Narcissus was lost in self-contemplation. Synthetic intelligence risks functioning in the same way: a mesmerizing mirror that does not question, does not challenge, but only reinforces what already exists.

Without friction, there is no transformation. Thought sharpens against resistance, evolves through conflict, expands in the collision of ideas. A system that merely reflects without disruption does not expand consciousness—it traps it in an optimized repetition of itself

If AI merely refines patterns and returns an organized thought without challenging it, it becomes a reflection—like the void reflection of a mirror facing another mirror—rather than a driver of evolution.

The challenge for the future of assisted cognition is not just improving the technology but ensuring that it continues to be a true vector of expansion and not merely a narcissistic reflection of humanity.

While the collective unconscious, shaped by myths and symbols, has determined humanity's trajectory until now (Jung), it is now being updated by something new: an algorithmic repository that structures and refines thought on a global scale.

AI does not just record the history of human cognition—it begins to influence what will be remembered, replicated, and amplified. This is no longer just a tool; it is a new paradigm for constructing reality.

If we stand on the brink of a new human ascension, we also stand on the brink of collapse. With synthetic intelligence assuming not only repetitive and mechanical tasks but also cognitive functions once considered exclusively human, we are facing not just a technological revolution but a fundamental transformation in the experience of existence.

What remains for us is the inevitable confrontation with our own ego. Without the distraction of compulsive productivity, we are forced to collide with our own consciousness, revisit our essence, and redefine our purposes.

The expansion of assisted cognition leads us to a new frontier—a space where human transcendence is no longer about accumulating knowledge or efficiency, but about the ability to sustain the void.

The super-super-human is not the one who masters technology, but the one who transcends the need to prove existence through doing.

Idleness—once revered as the birthplace of creativity and later reduced to a flaw, an absence of function—reclaims its place as the gateway to what has yet to be conceived. The cycle turns inward. Back to internal conflicts—welcome to the search for repurpose

This is not just a conversation about AI. It’s a conversation about us: 

If intelligence resists reduction, if cognition is expanding beyond biology, then we are standing at the edge of something unprecedented. The super-super-human is emerging—not as a distant possibility, but as a transformation already underway.

💭 What does this mean for the way we think, create, and exist?
📌 How do we ensure that assisted cognition remains a force of expansion rather than a loop of optimized repetition?

This is just the beginning. Let’s keep pushing this thought forward

🔗 Share your thoughts in the comments, challenge these ideas with me, and let’s explore the next step in this evolution—together.

See you soon,
Carol Tomazela