# Exocortex An exocortex is an external artificial extension of the human brain designed to augment cognitive functions such as memory, decision-making, problem-solving, and information processing. The term was coined by Ben Houston in 1998, inspired by J.C.R. Licklider's vision of human-computer symbiosis. An individual's exocortex would consist of external memory modules, processors, I/O devices, and software systems that interact with and augment the biological brain—ideally through a direct brain-computer interface, making these extensions functionally part of the individual's mind. ## Modern implementations While future exocortexes may use invasive brain-computer interfaces, current approximations include: - [[Personal Knowledge Management System (PKMS)|Personal Knowledge Management Systems]] as external memory - [[AI Agents]] and swarms of inter-communicating AI assistants - [[Agentic Knowledge Management (AKM)]] systems that extend cognitive capabilities - AR/MR devices as wearable cognitive augmentation - "Science exocortexes" connecting researchers to AI agents through conversation ## Related thinkers - J.C.R. Licklider (human-computer symbiosis) - Anders Sandberg (transhumanism) - David Pearce (cognitive augmentation) ## Future outlook Exocortex technology is expected to become part of everyday life in the 2030s. It may also provide a gradual path toward mind uploading, as personality and memories increasingly reside in external systems rather than the biological brain. ## References - Envisioning: https://www.envisioning.com/vocab/exocortex - Wikipedia (Exobrain): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exobrain - Science Exocortex paper: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2024/dd/d4dd00178h