It’s been a while since I reflected on how tools once feared for flattening human inquiry might now help restore it. I want to bring that question down to earth—into my lab, where rehumanization doesn’t start with theory. It starts with structure.

When I was a kid, I used to imagine what it would be like to carry a communicator like Captain Kirk. Now we all carry one—in our pockets, always on, always listening. Somewhere between the wonder and the overload, we forgot we were in charge. The dream of collective connection became something else—sometimes awe-inspiring, sometimes unnerving. It reminded me of another kind of network: the Borg, a hive mind built on assimilation. At first, this digital collective seemed full of promise—seamless connection, instant access. But over time, it shifted. Instead of helping me, it began to feel like a swarm of digital piranhas—every notification, every message, nibbling at my attention, slowly eroding my........

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