Editor's Synopsis
Mike Parker introduces the Thinking Partner, an AI tool designed to support personal reflection rather than capture attention. Unlike most AI systems optimized for engagement, the Thinking Partner aims to help users think without building hidden profiles or harvesting attention as a resource. Parker frames the tool around a core question: can a tool help you reflect without building a model of who you are? His approach treats the user as the integrator — the tool holds the material, while the user holds the meaning.
The post announces a workshop on July 23, 2026, hosted in association with the Schumacher Institute, where Parker will demonstrate the Thinking Partner live. The workshop draws on systems thinking, appropriate technology (tools built to human scale), and contemplative practice, alongside neuroscience concepts like the Default Mode Network — the brain's reflective, wandering state that engagement-driven platforms are designed to interrupt. Free trials of the tool are available for participants to evaluate the claims firsthand.
