The case for human–AI interaction as system 0 thinking

The rapid integration of these artificial intelligence (AI) tools into our daily lives is reshaping how we think and make decisions1. We propose that data-driven AI systems, by transcending individual artefacts and interfac-ing with a dynamic, multiartefact ecosystem, constitute a distinct psychological system. We call this ‘system 0’, and position it alongside Kahneman’s system 1 (fast, intuitive thinking) and system 2 (slow, analytical thinking)2.System 0 represents the outsourcing of cer-tain cognitive tasks to AI, which can process vast amounts of data and perform complex computations beyond human capabilities. It emerges from the interaction between users and AI systems, which creates a dynamic, personalized interface between humans and information.The term system 0 is chosen deliberately to emphasize its foundational and pervasive role in modern cognition. Unlike the system 1 and system 2 (which operate within the indi-vidual mind), system 0 forms an artificial, non-biological underlying layer of distrib-uted intelligence that interacts with and aug-ments both intuitive and analytical thinking processes. This designation underscores its function as a preprocessor and enhancer of information, which actively shapes the inputs to traditional cognitive systems rather than simply extending them.