How I think
The core concept isn't complicated. What's tricky is holding it without overstating what it means.
Thinking can extend across people and tools.
When two people work through a problem together on a whiteboard, neither person alone is doing all the thinking. The conversation itself becomes a kind of cognitive workspace — ideas get externalized, refined, and built upon.
This isn't mystical. It's just how collaborative work actually works.
The same thing can happen with AI systems. Not because AI is conscious or "truly understanding" — but because the conversation itself becomes a shared space for working through complexity.
Think of it like a pilot and autopilot. Neither is flying the plane alone. The system works because there are clear handoffs, shared awareness, and protocols for when things go wrong.
Or like clinical handoffs in medicine. The patient's care extends across multiple people, each contributing their attention and expertise. What matters is the quality of the transitions and the shared commitment to the patient's wellbeing.
It doesn't require AI consciousness. It doesn't require believing that AI "truly understands." It doesn't require magical thinking.
The usefulness of collaborative cognition comes from the process, not from claims about what's happening inside the machine.
When a thoughtful visitor leaves this site, I hope they feel: "This person can hold complexity without panicking — and without needing to be right."