Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just a tool for automation it is becoming a partner in how people think, learn, and interpret. As AI systems increasingly mediate human cognition through features like summarization, rewriting, and recommendation, we face a new kind of design responsibility: not just to improve usability, but to consider what kinds of mental habits these tools are shaping over time. This talk introduces second-order thinking as a new and necessary lens for AI product development. While design thinking focuses on user needs, and systems thinking on interdependencies, second-order thinking helps us reason about what AI systems reinforce or allow to atrophy in users’ cognitive lives. It asks: what do people stop practicing because the system works so well? And what kind of mind is this tool helping them develop? Rather than critique, this is an invitation: AI systems can support deeper thinking, reflection, and discernment if we design with those outcomes in mind. We offer an interdisciplinary framework grounded in cognitive science but tailored for product teams, helping cross-functional stakeholders reason about the long-term effects of AI tools on attention, interpretation, and agency. Through real-world examples and visual artifacts, we’ll compare design thinking, systems thinking, and second-order thinking to illustrate how AI product strategy must evolve. Ultimately, this talk equips builders with a forward-looking approach to shaping cognition so that we don’t just design tools that function, but tools that help people flourish.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2026 Special Focus—Human-Centered AI Transformations
KEYWORDS
Responsible AI, Product Strategy, Human-AI Interaction, Ethical Technology, Frameworks
