Collective Intelligence has been a prominent buzzword in business environments for the past few years. Experts often discuss Collective Intelligence as the only form of Intelligence and the foundation for productivity and progress. In fact, they argue that major problems in politics, economics, and societies happen due to low levels of Collective Intelligence. In essence, it refers to groups of individuals working together, sharing their knowledge, and leveraging their unique skills to achieve results they never believed possible.
In the new digital Era, largely driven by Machine Learning and Generative AI solutions, there’s much more Collective Intelligence can accomplish for us. You see, many people talk about how AI can detect deadly diseases more quickly than experienced doctors. They talk about how AI can code and debug better than senior software engineers or architects. Yet, what’s interesting is what they can achieve working together as one. Let’s explore the impact of AI on Collective Intelligence and how that can drive business growth.
Collective Intelligence in Business Environments
Collective Intelligence goes beyond combining the power of more than one mind (or machine). In other words, a group of people working together is just part of the equation. The truth is that Collective Intelligence is just as efficient as the implementation of the four principles in which it operates. Think about it: if everyone has the same ideas and similar reasoning, their results will be similar to what they could’ve done individually. The power of working together comes from combining different sets of skills and, most importantly, different opinions.
The four principles of Collective Intelligence are Openness, Peering, Sharing, and Acting Globally. These principles encourage participants to treat projects as a whole, with everyone’s opinion equally important. Also, they promote privacy, independence, and data aggregation, where dissenting opinions are crucial. That’s why diversity, a factor in the Acting Globally principle, is so important. Cognitive Diversity, to be precise. That also explains why successful businesses value diversity and inclusion that much. It doesn’t come as a surprise that the CEOs of Microsoft and Google are talented individuals with distinctive personal backgrounds. A group of people who approach the same problem with different perspectives, ideas, and levels of abstraction can often outperform experts in the same field. Experts that work individually without combining other points of view.
Collective Intelligence and Generative AI
The other side of the Acting Globally principle involves the ability to gather and connect data. Needless to say, this has become increasingly easy thanks to the power of AI. On the one hand, technology helps us involve people around the world and combine their brainpower. But this becomes exciting when you use Generative AI tools to improve Collective Intelligence. AI allows us to share and organize ideas in an organization seamlessly. It also makes it much easier for us to collaborate and communicate with co-workers.
On the other hand, Generative AI tools hold massive amounts of data and bring ideas without biased opinions. That allows them to approach problems in multiple different ways. It’s like adding infinite levels of cognitive diversity to the Collective Intelligence of a business.
Cognitive biases and communication have been two major roadblocks for Collective Intelligence. Similarly, our desire to agree with our peers and capacity to process information hold us back. All that prevents us from getting and maintaining high levels of Collective Intelligence. As it happens, Generative AI tools have addressed all these issues, helping us reach Collective Intelligence levels the likes of which have never been seen before. That has opened the doors for businesses of all industries to streamline their processes and drive massive growth.
Use Cases of AI For Collective Intelligence
Quite a few large businesses are using AI to boost Collective Intelligence. Let’s briefly go over some of the most remarkable case studies.
MapWithAI
MapWithAI is an initiative launched by The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap (HOT) with the help of Facebook. It leverages AI algorithms and Collective Intelligence to gather data from multiple sources and make informed decisions. The project focuses on mapping the world, aiming to respond promptly to natural disasters like flooding, migration, and other crises. As a result, it maps vulnerable regions. Their algorithms can get data from all over the world in seconds. Yet, they still make mistakes that we can identify with ease. That also proves how far humans and AI can go when working together.
WeFarm
Wefarm is another example of a great company that uses AI and Collective Intelligence to deliver outstanding solutions to the farming community. It connects a large community of farmers so that they can ask for advice when they need it. The best part is that they don’t need to access the internet or leave their farms. AI and Machine Learning algorithms filter requests so they reach the most qualified farmers to answer them. Messaging is free of charge via SMS. WeFarm’s Natural Language Processing (NLP) can detect three African languages and English. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best examples of AI boosting Collective Intelligence.
Dataminr
Dataminr also uses NLP, IoT sensors, computer vision, and Machine Learning to detect early signs of high-risk events. Social media platforms, blogs, and public forums often have accurate and fresh information about natural disasters. Dataminr leverages AI to quickly collect data and inform the authorities, allowing quick responses to any catastrophic event. In the context of businesses, Dataminr applies Generative and Predictive AI to protect corporate assets and workforce. It includes cutting-edge solutions to protect businesses against potential security threats. This way, it helps keep the company and employees safe.
Final Thoughts
The ways in which we humans and Generative AI tools approach problem-solving in business aren’t just unique and effective. They’re complementary to each other. That’s why AI plays a massive role in helping us reach new levels of Collective Intelligence. Instead of fearing AI, we should feel excited about all the things we’ll be able to accomplish working with it as a team member. A co-worker with access to endless amounts of data. One capable of analyzing it and presenting it in a friendly way in seconds.
