The Interpenetration of Mind and Machine

Abstract

We here provide our assessment of the growing intimacy which is the relationships between humans and technology. With the development of each more innovative and intimate system, the line between human and machine is becoming increasingly blurred. The concept of human qua human and machine qua machine are no longer situated at polar extremes of a human versus automation spectrum. Rather, human and machine represent a converging dyad that is evolving toward a hybrid commonalty. Within this overarching context, we discuss the concept of intimacy using four basic dimensions: i) the internal perspective, ii) the external extension, iii) interpersonal interaction, and finally, iv) the societal reflection. Through the use of three case study personae (a disabled individual, a military operative, and a student), these dimensions are shown to be flexible to the characterization of various classes of users and can thus be used to frame the multilevel and emerging impacts of emergent physical and cognitive intimacy.