9 companies harnessing the power of collective intelligence
Futurist > Companies creating the future > 9 companies harnessing the power of collective intelligence
If you’ve seen the term ‘collective intelligence’ appear in articles or online discussions, you might be tempted to assume it’s a buzzword concocted to give a new spin to the often over-hyped applications of so-called AI, Deep Learning, Big Data etc.
There are plenty of companies that use the term vaguely, or are barely beyond the idea stage, but there is also an impressive and growing group of companies that are harnessing the power of human and machine intelligence to solve the problems of tomorrow today.
Many do not rely on questionable black-box jargon, but are surprisingly pragmatic and ingenious. Here is a round-up of the ones we found most impressive.
Cognitive Edge aims to solve problems that are not adequately addressed by current primary research techniques. It is owned by the Cynefin Network, and is the brainchild of Welsh management consultant David Snowden.
Trained in philosophy, Snowden became interested in storytelling within organizations while working at IBM, who to their credit gave him various leadership roles in which he could experiment with his ideas.
His Twitter profile shows that he is a staunch anti-BS advocate when it comes to the hokum that often surrounds so-called data science in business, and makes entertaining reading!
The video above relates to Sensemaker, the flagship product of his firm Cognitive Edge, founded in 2004. Sensemaker works by ‘collecting real, unfiltered experiences on the ground to create a narrative-based repository of insights’.
The onus is placed on the person whocontributesthe data to interpret it, a process called self-indexing. Self-indexing ‘disintermediates’ the computer or expert, who would ordinarily act as the primary filter for the raw data.
The idea of disintermediation is that the source of data (i.e. the respondent) has the best grasp of its original context. By eliminating the interpretive layer, data capture can be continuous and feedback instantaneous.
As well as being an original idea, it is the opposite of hiding behind ‘data science’. Refreshing!
Ethelo means ‘I want’ in Ancient Greek, but also ‘I am willing’. This does a pretty good job at explaining the essence of the software, which aims to figure out not only what people want, but also what they areprepared to accept.
One of the first things you notice about Ethelo is its impressive roster ofcase studies, from the federal government of Canada to numerous regional organizations (mainly also in Canada) including investment firms.
The CEO John Richardson is a lawyer and a mathematician – an intriguing combination. Much of the issues that his firm deals with are related to complex, multi-faceted decisions such as how to allocate budget, or how members of a community feel about the introduction of a new initiative or bylaw.
The software is premised on the idea that traditional polling or decision-making systems suffer from a) over simplicity – issues are resolved into artificial dichotomies (Yes / No) and b) lack of engagement – e.g. low polling responses, and low voter turnout.
The Ethelo process breaks down decisions into smaller issues, elicits group responses, and uses the replies to construct a composite solution that works for all if not most.
Check outthis videofor an intuitive example about deciding what kind of takeaway to order.
And let’s be honest, does it get more contentious than that?
Like Ethelo, bluenove has a decent track record, claiming to have completed 800 projects in the past ten years.
In 2018 alone, it organized “70 debates for large French companies, administrative departments and local authorities”. Which using standard methods, one assumes, would have been terminally stressful for those involved.
