Researcher Moral Design of Technology & Brain Palace Architect

I'm Marieke van Vliet, researcher in ethical technology at Fontys with a background in IT and a PhD in neuroscience. I research how we can shape our digital environment to strengthen us as critical thinkers, rather than flatten our thinking.

The AI debate seems stuck between two camps: enthusiasts who believe AI will make human knowledge work obsolete, and critics who dismiss it as stochastic parrots. Both sides sideline us in our own thinking.

My question is different: how do you remain fully human, empowered by technology?

Technology is an extension of our brain and our environment: our digital environment is a space where we spend an increasingly large part of our day. If we don't consciously shape it, we let our thinking be flattened by systems that reward speed and convenience. But it doesn't have to be this way.

That's why I'm working on the Brain Palace: a framework that helps knowledge workers organize their digital environment to align with how we work as humans. From information we capture to patterns we recognize, from choices we make to work we complete, and especially: the time that thinking needs.

It's not about avoiding or blindly embracing technology. It's about building your digital space so that you continue to think critically, dig deeper, and shape your own voice. So that technology strengthens you instead of replacing you.