In this episode, I am so excited to share this chat with Justin Germishuys. Justin is the founder of Germinotion. He is an insatiable generalist who weaves solutions using strands from learning design, behavioural design, data analytics, AI and more. He has a particular interest in using AI to supplement and enhance human reasoning. Between projects, you will find him reading P.G. Wodehouse and eating chocolate biscuits.
Justin's main challenge is navigating the complex intersections of psychology, philosophy, technology, and education to create an effective model for integrating AI into human cognition. His goal is to develop a new paradigm that views humans as cyborgs in the Andy Clark sense - beings whose minds naturally extend into their environment through tools and technologies.
One surprising takeaway from this conversation was the concept of "cyborg skills," which are not only about how humans can extend themselves with technology but also about what new cognitive processes become possible when we think about ourselves as cyborgs.
The risks discussed include fears related to cheating and instructional practice changes when integrating AI into education. There's also mention of societal harm due to unanticipated consequences, such as those seen with social media. On the other hand, rewards include overcoming cognitive biases, enhancing productivity, creativity, decision-making processes, identifying bias or poor argumentation in texts using AI, detecting diseases like cancer more accurately than humans.