Reflection and Artificial Intelligence: From the Psychology of Reflection to Reflexive Digital Practices of Human Development

This article traces the evolution of the concept of reflection from its origins with J. Locke and introspective psychology to its establishment as a distinct field within psychological science by the end of the 20th century. The author emphasizes the importance of the institutionalization of the psychology of reflection in the 1990s for developing reflective practices and psychotechniques used in counseling, training, psychotherapy, and education. The main semantic focus of the article is on the revolutionary impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) on uncovering new possibilities for reflection in the 21st century. It demonstrates that the integration of AI into human activity transforms reflective processes and related practices. This gives rise to the phenomenon of “bi-reflection” during the interaction between human consciousness and machine intelligence, manifesting in the emergence of “digital centaurs” and new reflective-digital practices. These practices expand cognitive and personal resources while simultaneously raising questions about changing subjectivity, identity, and ethics. They also stimulate the "humanization" of AI by endowing it with functions of creativity and reflectivity. The author presents two promising conceptual developments. The first is the Digital Angel (DA): a personal AI agent that acts as a psychological buffer and protection against the risks of the digital world (such as cyber threats and competition with AGI). The DA provides a secure digital space and analyzes user data to enhance their reflection and self-development. The second is the Digital Alter-Ego (DAE): a technology for “constructing” and “experiencing” new personal roles in virtual and augmented realities. The DAE allows individuals to activate latent abilities and resources, creating not a “zone of proximal development” (per L.S. Vygotsky) but a “zone of distal development” – offering prospects for self-realization through interaction with AI. The article argues that DA and DAE technologies, grounded in domestic advancements within the psychology of reflection, define a new vector for the digital humanities and hybrid reflective practices.