An illustration of the top of the statue of The Thinker by Rodin. There is a nest in his head, with three chicks sticking out, and their parent bird flying above.

Tools for Thought

Better thinking through AI

A New Computing Experience project
at Microsoft Research, Cambridge UK

Workshops

Upcoming

  • Coming soon

Past

CHI2025

Description:

We invited researchers, designers, practitioners, and provocateurs to explore what it means to understand and shape the impact of Generative AI (GenAI) on human cognition. GenAI radically widens the scope and capability of automation for work, learning, and creativity. While impactful, it also changes workflows and the quality of thinking involved, raising questions about its effects on cognition, including critical thinking and learning. Yet, GenAI also offers opportunities for designing tools for thought that protect and augment cognition. Such systems provoke critical thinking, provide personalized tutoring, or enable novel ways of sensemaking, among other approaches. How does GenAI change workflows and human cognition? What are opportunities and challenges for designing GenAI systems that protect and augment human cognition? Which theories, perspectives, and methods are relevant? This workshop aimed to develop a multidisciplinary community interested in exploring these questions to protect against the erosion, and fuel the augmentation, of human cognition using GenAI.


Personne

The Tools for Thought team is interdisciplinary, mixing experts in social science, computer science, engineering, and design. The team is co-lead by Richard Banks and Sean Rintel.

Members

Portrait de Sean Rintel

Sean Rintel

Senior Principal Research Manager

Portrait de Richard Banks

Richard Banks

Principal Design Manager

Portrait de Advait Sarkar

Advait Sarkar

Senior Researcher

Portrait de Pratik Ghosh

Pratik Ghosh

Senior Research Designer

Portrait de Martin Grayson

Martin Grayson

Principal Research Software Development Engineer

Portrait de Britta Burlin

Britta Burlin

Principal Design Manager

Portrait de Lev Tankelevitch

Lev Tankelevitch

Senior Researcher

Portrait de Payod Panda

Payod Panda

Design Engineering Researcher

Portrait de Viktor Kewenig

Viktor Kewenig

Cognitive Science Researcher

Portrait de Leon Reicherts

Leon Reicherts

Researcher

Collaborators

Portrait de Abigail Sellen

Abigail Sellen

Distinguished Scientist and Lab Director

Portrait de Siân Lindley

Siân Lindley

Senior Principal Research Manager

Portrait de Jack Williams

Jack Williams

Senior Researcher

Portrait de Christian Poelitz

Christian Poelitz

Senior Research Engineer

Portrait de Jake Hofman

Jake Hofman

Senior Principal Researcher