Anthony Chemero's 'Intertwined Creatures' Challenges AI Consciousness Hype

In a review of Anthony Chemero's forthcoming book 'Intertwined Creatures: The Embodied Cognitive Science of Self and Other' (Columbia Univ. Press, 2026), cognitive scientist Chemero argues that current AI consciousness debates are built on reductive notions of human cognition. He critiques the Western philosophical tradition of the 'lone, disembodied thinker' and proposes an embodied cognitive science drawing on ecological psychology, enactivism, and non-linear dynamics. Chemero contends that human minds are embodied, dynamic, and social, inextricably connected to environments and others, and that sophisticated AI systems lack the capacity to care or navigate interpersonal interactions. The review, published in Nature (vol. 656, pp. 816-817, 2026), highlights Chemero's accessible writing and vivid examples, such as a mundane morning routine, to illustrate his points. The book is set for release in 2026.