# Designing Proactive Thought Partners for Writing

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.01588 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.01588/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 44 of its 89 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 1 Sep 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 44)

- [Using an LLM to Help With Code Understanding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.08177/) (2023)
- [Co-Writing with Opinionated Language Models Affects Users' Views](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.00560/) (2023)
- [Gmail Smart Compose: Real-Time Assisted Writing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1906.00080/) (2019)
- [Sparks: Inspiration for Science Writing using Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.07640/) (2021)
- [A Design Space for Intelligent and Interactive Writing Assistants](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.14117/) (2024)
- [The Impact of Multiple Parallel Phrase Suggestions on Email Input and Composition Behaviour of Native and Non-Native English Writers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.09157/) (2021)
- [VISAR: A Human-AI Argumentative Writing Assistant with Visual Programming and Rapid Draft Prototyping](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.07810/) (2023)
- [Need Help? Designing Proactive AI Assistants for Programming](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.04596/) (2024)
- [Writer-Defined AI Personas for On-Demand Feedback Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.10433/) (2023)
- [Assistance or Disruption? Exploring and Evaluating the Design and Trade-offs of Proactive AI Programming Support](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.18658/) (2025)
- [ConvXAI: Delivering Heterogeneous AI Explanations via Conversations to Support Human-AI Scientific Writing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.09770/) (2023)
- [Interacting with next-phrase suggestions: How suggestion systems aid and influence the cognitive processes of writing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.00636/) (2022)
- [Customizing Emotional Support: How Do Individuals Construct and Interact With LLM-Powered Chatbots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.12943/) (2025)
- [The AI Ghostwriter Effect: When Users Do Not Perceive Ownership of AI-Generated Text But Self-Declare as Authors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.03283/) (2023)
- [CloChat: Understanding How People Customize, Interact, and Experience Personas in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.15265/) (2024)
- [GhostWriter: Augmenting Collaborative Human-AI Writing Experiences Through Personalization and Agency](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.08855/) (2024)
- ["It Felt Like Having a Second Mind": Investigating Human-AI Co-creativity in Prewriting with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.10811/) (2023)
- [Heteroglossia: In-Situ Story Ideation with the Crowd](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2001.04519/) (2020)
- [Textoshop: Interactions Inspired by Drawing Software to Facilitate Text Editing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.17088/) (2024)
- [Script&Shift: A Layered Interface Paradigm for Integrating Content Development and Rhetorical Strategy with LLM Writing Assistants](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.10638/) (2025)
- [TaleStream: Supporting Story Ideation with Trope Knowledge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.03790/) (2023)
- [Where Do I 'Add the Egg'?: Exploring Agency and Ownership in AI Creative Co-Writing Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.15440/) (2025)
- [Just-In-Time Objectives: A General Approach for Specialized AI Interactions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.14591/) (2025)
- [Developer Interaction Patterns with Proactive AI: A Five-Day Field Study](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.10253/) (2026)
- [Towards AI as Colleagues: Multi-Agent System Improves Structured Ideation Processes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.23904/) (2025)
- [From Awareness to Action: Exploring End-User Empowerment Interventions for Dark Patterns in UX](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.17846/) (2023)
- [Collaborative Document Editing with Multiple Users and AI Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.11826/) (2025)
- [From Words to Widgets for Controllable LLM Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.10925/) (2026)
- [Polymind: Parallel Visual Diagramming with Large Language Models to Support Prewriting Through Microtasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.09577/) (2025)
- [Perspectra: Choosing Your Experts Enhances Critical Thinking in Multi-Agent Research Ideation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.20553/) (2025)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Foundations of Proactive Agents: Principles, Technical Layers, and Proactivity-Gym](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.37267/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Writing involves diverse cognitive activities, from ideation to revision, and writers' needs vary across individuals and moments. Proactive AI promises to provide the right support at the right time, yet existing proactive tools largely focus on generic textual assistance, such as autocomplete. This paper studies the design space of proactive thought partners: AI agents that proactively offer customizable, higher-level cognitive support during writing. We instantiated this concept in a technology probe and deployed it with 16 participants for one week. The probe allows users to create partners by configuring their roles and proactivity. As users write, relevant partners take the initiative at appropriate moments to offer suggestions. Our findings show that participants configured proactive support through prospective planning, used suggestions for both idea generation and self-monitoring, and valued lightweight visual representations alongside non-directive rhetorical framing for non-intrusive interventions. We derive implications for designing proactive writing assistants around customization, timing, engagement, and representation.