Epistemic Agency in the Age of Large Language Models: Design Principles for Knowledge-Building AI

Introduction: Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly employed as cognitive aids in research and professional inquiry, yet their fluent outputs are frequently regarded as authoritative knowledge. We contend that this practice signifies a fundamental epistemic misalignment. Methods/Approach: Building on Peirce’s theory of inquiry, Sellars’ concept of the space of reasons, Stanovich’s tripartite model of cognition, and knowledge-building theory, we develop a conceptual framework for analyzing epistemic agency in human–LLM collaboration. Results/Argument: We demonstrate that LLM outputs fail to satisfy the conditions for knowledge because they lack reflective regulation, resistance to revision, and normative commitment. While LLMs display strong autonomous and algorithmic abilities (e.g., pattern recognition and hypothesis development), reflective control remains a distinctly human function. This asymmetry supports a principled division of epistemic labour and motivates the concept of the Knowledge-Building Partner (KBP): an AI system designed to support inquiry without claiming epistemic authority. Discussion/Implications: We identify prompt-, system-, and model-level design requirements and introduce a triangulated framework for operationalizing epistemic agency through explainable AI, discourse analysis, and rational-thinking measures. These contributions collectively reposition LLM limitations as epistemic design challenges rather than technical issues.