Collective intelligence (2/2): Collective intelligence workshops and AI

Intelligence is often defined as the ability to solve problems. Computers really can solve problems much better than people, although they have no emotions and no thoughts. Be that as it may, we will now look at how they could help us better utilise our human intelligence, which was the topic of the previous article.

Illustration

Something similar applies to our bodies. There are involuntary processes (cardio-vascular or digestive) which keep us alive even though no thinking is involved.

Highly intelligent solutions can be produced without relying on standard thinking. A good example would be collective intelligence workshops, which proceed as follows:

  1. For the first few hours people repeatedly engage in small-group discussions to do the thinking.
  2. These ideas are then consolidated in the whole large group.
  3. During the final two hours, an implementation plan is formed.

That way the collective intelligence of the group is leveraged to select the best ideas.

However, the author of an article on the management-issues.com website recalls how once there was not enough time to carry out the first phase. Small group discussions couldn’t happen; instead, people simply put post-it notes containing ideas on a wall. Then the top ideas were voted on.

This proved to be very successful. On this basis, group discussions seem unnecessary for leveraging the collective intelligence; a rapid exploring exercise is enough, so the usual discussions and thinking are not required.

Aggregation of multiple perspectives

Collective intelligence inherently leads to the correction of human biases present in individual thinking. Then the solutions are:

  • extraordinarily intelligent
  • incredibly fast
  • consistently unbiased
  • inherently benevolent

Unbiased solutions indicate that a higher intelligence is at play. AI applications designed as collective intelligence systems would give us the results of slow thinking with the speed of fast thinking.

-jk-

Article source Management Issues - British website cntaining practical information, tips and advice to managers
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