Human-Intelligences-Maxxing

Dear Reader,

This fall, rapid change isn't limited to the leaves.

The news is full of AI's advances. OpenAI's releasing reams of mathematical proofs usurped (perhaps) the excitement of human discovery embodied in Good Will Hunting, where crowds ran across the MIT lawn to see the human solution to a mathematics challenge on a chalkboard. This is the topic of my blog below.

At the same time, familiar cycles repeat—some less delightful than seasons.

The news is full of election cycles and pervasive human conflicts that seem to be stuck fast, festering—or growing. These are at the center of the final book chapter I'm currently writing.

Before or as you continue, please consider and tell me your thoughts on:

How you imagine the best interplay between Human Intelligence(s) and AI
How you help people break through differences and complex conflicts

I'll share some of these back next time. Till then, I look forward to seeing New England educators at MassCUE (below). And we're staying tuned for SXSW EDU news—heartfelt thanks for your votes!

As always, please find more free resources and stories at innovatorscompass.org

Hopefully,

Ela, founder of innovatorscompass.org.

Join Me In Person!

Going to MassCUE, the largest K-12 education conference in New England, this week?

Kim Zajac invited me to partner in an accessibility-focused take on the "Rethinking Who Designs AI" workshop I created with Innovators for Purpose.

MassCUE Workshops

And I'm grateful to be invited to offer 1:1 Connections as well, where you choose our talk topic. Your tools, my tools, compassing something together—it's all great!

MassCUE 1:1 Connections

First, join the next Collaborative Designers Unite gathering in Boston TONIGHT!

CDU Signup

Sip a New Story

OK, while this isn't quite a story—I'm deep in those for the book at the moment—it's sparked by the news story above. And, by a question my publisher asked me.

AI? First, Maximize the Use of Your Own Natural Resources—Your Human Intelligences.

A Great Question

My publisher asked:

When might people reach for their compass, versus (or alongside) AI?

That’s a question for any tool these days: its role in the human-computer dynamic, and vice versa.

For example, as I write this, the news is full of OpenAI's releasing reams of mathematical proofs. This usurped (perhaps) the excitement of human discovery embodied in a favorite film around Boston (where I live), Good Will Hunting, where crowds ran across the MIT lawn (the scene of many of my own study sessions long ago) to see the human solution to a mathematics challenge on a chalkboard (fun fact: filmed at my husband's undergrad alma mater, the University of Toronto).

So, I'm exploring it.

The Definition of Intelligence

First, I got curious about the technical definition of “intelligence.”

Merriam-Webster’s is:

the ability to learn or understand things or to deal with new or difficult situations.

An academically rigorous definition comes from the Mainstream Science on Intelligence consensus statement (1994) drafted by Linda Gottfredson and signed by 52 leading researchers in intelligence and cognitive psychology:

"…The ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly and learn from experience….comprehending our surroundings—'catching on,' 'making sense' of things, or 'figuring out' what to do."

So, a reason the compass questions arise so often alongside specific advice in practices from leadership and parenting to engineering and design may be that these situations and decisions are ultimately yours—and the practices prompt your intelligence to figure out what to do.

Or Rather, Intelligences

In the spirit of abundance, I love the notion of multiple intelligences...