Content originally posted by Axel Schultze on Tomorrow Was Yesterday

LINEAR VERSUS LATERAL THINKING

It is no news that linearly managed business process transformation like digitalization or creating breakthrough innovation has never really worked out. Linear thinking for any complex structure is no good idea.

In the fall of 2021, we worked feverishly on finding better ways to visualize the difference between linear and lateral thinking. At that same time, I was asked to visualize the data flow in each innovation process episode that feeds to our AI system. All charts I've seen of lateral processes were hopelessly convoluted visuals where virtually every piece of a process was connected with at least half of all the other processes.

In the end, we decided visualizing any requires a bridge to a linear model. Once I looked at the process connections, I realized a pattern of parallelity - some actions ran in parallel, and some even in different directions. While a core process is active, a few sub-processes can break out and run outside the core, even in different directions.

The above chart compares a linear process on the left column with a lateral process and its many columns to the right. It is described further below how it works and how this can serve the human mind.

Laterality could be shown in a linear form, visualizing the lateral process. We see a very similar mechanism when looking at the AI from autonomous driving.

AI is the first technological way to build laterality with a computer.

Managing complexity is a challenging task - no matter what. And if we need to ask teams to innovate and manage highly complex processes creatively, we will either lose creativity or manageability. Is that the end of managed innovation? No - not at all. We decided to use Artificial Intelligence to manage almost infinite complexity. All we need to do is train the system to guide their human companion through the maze. GPS? Compass? Stars? Yes, nothing new but in a very different world.

HOW AI CAN SERVE THE HUMAN MIND - NOT DISPLACE IT

We learned that a statement like "you need lateral thinking" is far easier said than done when working on lateral models. It works beautifully as a concept in ideation. But the innovation process is far too complex even to visualize - let alone think that way. Homo Sapience can create amazingly complex structures - like an organism with 200,000 people working in a structured way and working towards a common goal, like a global enterprise. But such a complexity grew over time to a point where there is not a single person who knows each aspect of the entire structure. With that in mind, we made two game-changing decisions:

1) LATERAL THINKING We will not ask anybody to become a general lateral thinker. Instead we decided to build solutions that do what humans are not so good at, like following complex lateral processes. We are using AI, Neuroscience, and Genetic Computing to form what is known as Human Intelligence Augmentation. No, it's not a new buzzword. Intelligence Augmentation was coined already in 1961 by Douglas Engelbart. It is designed to help people stay on top of processes no matter how complex they are. This is freeing the brain to do what it can do best, including innovate, create, socialize, identify meaning, see opportunities, work on unique things, entertain, and countless other talents and leave the repeatable administrative work to machines.

2) HIGH DEGREE OF PREDICTABILITY. We will focus on making those innovative and creative jobs highly predictable, so they can be judged, assessed, and analyzed before making significant investments and giving long-term commitments. 90% of even great groundbreaking innovation in enterprises worldwide is rejected or not funded. Relative to the investments, that yield is not acceptable. Some enterprises even close down their innovation centers. To solve that problem, we developed a unique and very powerful Innovation KPI Framework with 1 core KPI: "Success Probability". Multiple algorithms use roughly 200 "Contributing KPIs" and approximately 20,000 data points to compose the one ultimate Innovation Success KPI. The BlueCallom KPI Framework is a novel design of cascading KPIs leading to one "Mother Of All KPIs".

As mentioned above, Human Intelligence Augmentation was an original idea from Douglas C. Engelbart, documented in October 1962. It was Engelbart's hope that very intelligent machines will help the human mind to perform tasks of nearly endless complexity. However, back then neither the technology nor the scientific background on how we think was available to actually build such a machine. Today we are stepping on his shoulders and are introducing what he has envisioned.

HOW DID WE BUILD AN IA SYSTEM

Instead of starting with a way to think better, we started with the question of how we can remove the barriers that exist. "First Principle Thinking" is one of the ideation techniques that help create such a process. Our first piece of the application was the management dashboard and looking to make innovation processes predictable. The Deep Innovation Design processes consist of 10 episodes, with approximately 12 significant tasks each and about 10 activities in each task. More than 70% are creative, ideation-related tasks that work with stimuli and patterns that we learned from neuroscience. With an innovation team of 10 people, we deal with approximately 1,200 ideas, research insights, and market feedback objects. Those objects get influenced by human ideas, ratings of those ideas, influence from other ideas, customer feedback, market insights, considerations from previous episodes, predictions into new episodes, and reaches a staggering 20,000 aspects to consider. Far too much for a normal human brain to keep in mind while being in a creative process. In addition, any process involves budget considerations, reporting, timelines, and more. Either you work highly creative and don't administrate your work, or you follow the rules and never create any substantial innovation.

IMPORTANT NOTE: That is no different in startups, even though some admin work is a little less. A laterally organized AI system can take off all the administrative and coordinative work and let the ingenious minds flow freely. Reports, worrying what the next steps should be, process orientation, and other administrative work are taken care of by the AI system. In other words, IA is using AI to augment the human brain capacity by taking away jobs and tasks that are routine but, more importantly complexity that exceeds our brain capacity.

BlueCallom Ai-Driven Human Intelligence Automation

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2022

An IA (Intelligence Augmentation) system that will augment the intellectual capabilities beyond its natural capacity - and - without drilling holes in the skull. The dream of the late Douglas Engelbart to create Intelligence Augmentation is now becoming a reality.

HUMAN INTELLIGENCE AUGMENTATION This year, we envision the first customers to work with human intelligence augmentation to run their innovation projects. The BlueCallom DEEP system is built so that executives will experience a never-before-seen degree of predictability from complex innovation processes in real-time. Innovation or change management teams will experience a level of intellectual support by getting suggestions, reminders, data, and feedback. Think of using BlueCallom, similar to driving a car with GPS and augmented reality. You will still want to decide where to go, what to see, and where to stay - even to drive if you want. But the GPS will tell you the most desirable way to your destination, where to find charging stations, restaurants, and points of interest. It even navigates you around traffic jams or accidents. Also, in BlueCallom, you will still need to create the ideas yourself, explore the hopes and dreams of your customers and define the purpose of your innovation. However, the necessary reporting, reminding you on meetings, not forgetting what your previous research indicated, reminding you to consider how to bring it to market, or not forgetting to consider a great user experience and hundreds of other considerations for an excellent outcome is managed by the AI system. Soon you will be able to do all that by just talking and listening to your team and your BlueCallom - your conventional computer will no longer be needed.

INNOVATION SUCCESS PREDICTABILITY - With Human Intelligence Augmentation and countless data points aggregated throughout the entire process, it is allowing the AI system to calculate a never seen before innovation success predictability. Executives can observe the success prediction in real-time and conduct their risk assessments, decisions to move forward, and any financing approvals.

WHERE WILL WE TAKE IT LONG-TERM?

To build a better future, we need everybody to be able to innovate and rapidly resolve complexity. Our contribution is to build a solution that allows almost everybody to build their own future. A future of new materials, new technology, new medical systems, new renewable energy, new medication, new transportation, new mobility, new distribution structures, new education models, and more. BlueCallom will further invest in research and science, both on computer science and neuroscience, getting a deeper understanding of how our brain behaves and how we can interface with its natural "APIs".

Our future lies in building systems and solutions that can amplify and augment the human intellect. With our learning from Neuroscience and AI, Human Intelligence Augmentation is the core of our own development. By the end of 2022, we will invite all our business friends and customers to the first BlueCallomPredict, a small conference for Innovation Thought Leaders to look ever deeper into that future.

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