AI behaves more like a brain than a database – cognitive science’s role in its origin story helps explain why

Modern AI owes its existence to both cognitive and computer science. What you envision as its origin story can influence how you understand what large language models can do.

By: Michael Hout, New Mexico State University and Arryn Robbins, University of Richmond, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 7, 2026

Words: 1,284

Last Updated: 1 week, 3 days ago

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By Michael Hout, New Mexico State University and Arryn Robbins, University of Richmond

When people think about what ChatGPT or other large language models are doing behind the scenes, it’s common to reach for the language of computing. You might assume there is a database, or a logical series of steps being executed, in order to provide a response to your query.

Picturing AI responses as akin to your computer pulling up a file is a …

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