Domain knowledge, AI skills and metacognition offer a useful way to think about human agency and collaboration with AI.
A useful way to picture it is three overlapping circles. Domain knowledge, AI skills and metacognition.
A recent paper focusing on higher education brings these capacities together in a framework for human-AI collaboration.
Domain knowledge
Understanding the subject helps us frame useful questions and judge whether an answer is accurate, relevant and appropriate.
AI skills
Understanding what AI can do, where it falls short and how to work with it helps us turn an intention into useful results.
Metacognition
Monitoring and adjusting our own thinking helps us manage the collaboration. What am I assuming? Do I understand this well enough to judge it? When should I question the response or change approach?
The implication extends beyond higher education.
The framework offers a useful way to think about human agency and AI.
Paper
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075079.2026.2740136
Tom Clowry