The Cognitive Prosthetic: Why AI Usage Disclosure Matters
Large language models have become embedded in scholarly workflows at a pace that outstrips institutional capacity to understand what has changed. This paper argues that generative AI functions as a cognitive and linguistic prosthetic, one that…
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Version 1.0 - published on 21 Apr 2026 Last public release: 2.0
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Large language models have become embedded in scholarly workflows at a pace that outstrips institutional capacity to understand what has changed. This paper argues that generative AI functions as a cognitive and linguistic prosthetic, one that transforms the phenomenology of authorship, the distribution of epistemic labor, and the affective atmosphere surrounding scholarly production. Drawing on philosophy of technology, embodied cognition, affect theory, disability studies, and empirical research on human- AI collaboration, the paper develops a framework for understanding why transparent disclosure of AI involvement is an epistemological and pedagogical necessity. Available at ailabel.netlify.app, The AI Usage Facts label emerges from this framework as both reflective practice and epistemic infrastructure in the shape a customizable tool for of documenting AI contribution across research stages. The paper demonstrates how structured disclosure addresses source- monitoring failures, calibrates reader trust, reduces stigma through granularity, and cultivates the literacy required for responsible use of cognitive prosthetics in scholarship.
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