Building Cognitive Scaffolding with AI

@dannoyes
I'm glad it is helping you but I'm lucky to post here,
Can't teach this old dog new tricks. I'm too old or probably more accurately too stubborn to try and learn AI. Being technologically challenged my TV remote is as advanced as my mind can handle.
Take care Dan,
Jake

@jakedduck1 there are times I feel the same way. I spent half a day working with one AI tool before it said, "Dan, I'm sorry I made a big mistake. What I told you could be done was completely wrong. I'm sorry for hallucinating..." With all that said, the benefits now far outweigh the challenges.

Thx that you wrote and the other website was great. Sure I can’t read the whole thing - my TBI 14 years ago and loss 80% of my memory & understanding - but thx again😉

First, thanks for sharing your experience. I'm so sorry. I can relate to the memory loss, and I have developed a bit of a personal workflow to try to accommodate my issues. I have to confess I have no idea if I'm repeating myself or not, and I don't know if AI can ever help me address that. My own "AI Conductor" or "Second Brain" is where I store my core ideas and experiences. Without boring you with the details, I use ChatGPT and Claude every day throughout the day. I'd be lost without them and their ability to support my memory loss has been transformative. I just did a task where I asked both agents to "Tell me about myself." It was amazing to see the depth of detail it had accumulated about my life and condition, as well as some of my challenges (i.e., brain fog).

I feel strongly that some of the greatest value with these tools is for those of us who need a little extra support to get by each day. I'm really looking forward to hearing everyone's experience.

@dannoyes
I'm just curious, how much interaction do you have with humans every day.
Jake

Great question, Jake. I volunteer at my local hospital with my service dog, Gabe. My wife and I spend two days a week with family, and we're also active with our church community. Technology can become a "safe" replacement for human interaction, but I think people who fall into that category would tend to marginalize their human connection, with or without technology.

@dannoyes Would you mind sharing more about how you have AI connected to your personal schedule/data/tasks?
I’ve thought that eventually most of us will need/have our own personal AI Agent driven by the need for security protection, an outward facing agent that filters all our incoming media, but also for all the supports that it provides.
Are you using Lindy AI or Zapier to coordinate it all - or an ongoing “relationship” where you’ve built a history that AI integrates into each day as you communicate?

I retired in 2019 from teaching classes on assistive technology - we have come sooo far from what was available. You are using AI as a tool that was one of the great promises of its value.

If you’re looking for folks who are also on the cutting edge of using AI as personal support, I’d suggest checking to see what people who are blind are currently doing. They have always been great users of technology. They are masters of collecting, tagging, storing, retrieving information to manage their tasks, calendars, communication, etc. I believe they are using AI effectively, although I have not interfaced with this group in years.

@triciaot thank you so much for your feedback and insights. We're at an amazing crossroads where technology can truly transform life for people with disabilities. Being able to write three books on healthcare AI and develop a coloring book for pediatric patients largely comes from having AI support my work and mission to help patients entering their healthcare journey. For example, with my books, I used Claude as my editor-in-chief; it studied my arguments to make sure I stuck to the core principles of logic and grammar. I am a member of the Health Tech Council for CMS (i.e., Medicare and Medicaid) largely because AI can help teach me some of the complex principles shaping the future of technology for patients. I stress to people that AI can't do the work for me, but it can guide me through the process. I think this is especially true for those of us with cognitive issues.

So specifically, I rely on Claude Cowork to help me with complex multi-agent projects. Today, I created a system where I will "talk" with Claude about my day and what I want to accomplish. It will then check with me twice a day to see how I'm doing, where I need help, and will offload tasks where I struggle. I also created a guardrail in Claude so that if I push too hard, it will correct me and tell me to take a break. I know this seems kind of strange, but as a "type-A" personality, I need those nudges to help me slow down and take a walk. I've found that with Cowork, I no longer need Zapier or n8n.

For non-professional work, I use ChatGPT simply because it can add contextual memory to the equation. Over the years, ChatGPT knows me so well that it will reference (non-medical/non-private) parts of my care journey and experience, which definitely is a help. Obviously never sharing personal detailed information you would not want shared.

@dannoyes
Hi Dan,
Great discussion you've started — thank you!
I started using AI in 2025, and I still feel like a fairly new user, with a lot to learn about using it more effectively as an aid in my daily life.
Even so, it's already helped me a lot — it helps me reorganize my thoughts to express myself better and also to understand some complex contexts. Like you, I also use Claude and like it very much. I definitely believe AI can bring real benefit to those of us with epilepsy as a support in daily life.
What resources or approaches would you recommend for someone still learning how to use AI more effectively as a daily support tool, specifically to support your memory?
Thank you!
Chris