The role of interactive conceptions of intelligence and life in cognitive technology

The paper addresses technology which aims at designing systems which are intelligent or show life like behaviour. The author views 'intelligence' and 'life' as concepts which are constructed and attributed by humans: a) in a certain context by the process of interaction and understanding, or b) between humans in processes of agreement and the social construction of conventions. Cognitive technology can be an opportunity to study the processes of how new forms of interactions can emerge at the human tool interface. These new kinds of interaction need not mimic 'natural' ones, they can be qualitatively new forms of 'interactive intelligence' which are more than the sum of their parts. The relevance of artificial life (AL) to the field of cognitive technology is discussed. The Embodied AL (EAL) direction is interpreted in terms of concepts which stress the individual, embodied and social nature of humans as designers and users of technology. 'Believability', 'stories', 'autobiography', 'social understanding', and the coupling of an individual's internal and external dynamics to its environment are central concepts of this approach. The potential contribution of EAL to the field of cognitive technology is summarised in a list of ten CT guidelines.