AI tools for scientific search and scientific ideas, AI and Hermann Hesse, and lessons from Korean industry

October 21, 2024

"If you look at history, innovation doesn't just come from giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect.” - Steven Johnson

Hierarchy and the future of organizations

I’ve been on airplanes for over 30 hours over the last two weeks doing client keynotes, among my trips a fascinating few days in Seoul to do a keynote on sustainable futures.

Before last week I had done keynotes in 33 countries as well as having had a role as director of Asian operations, but somehow had never been to Korea despite my deep interest in the country.

While in Seoul, as always I filled my calendar outside of my client commitments with interesting meetings to get a feel for the local business and innovation scene.

Below some reflections on Korea’s hierarchical organizations, and the implications globally for increasing divergence in company performance, as well as some fascinating research papers uncovering the potential of Humans + AI.

Be well!

Ross

 

📖In this issue

  • Framework: AI-Powered Scientific Search

  • Knowledge graph of 58 million papers to generate new scientific research ideas

  • AI innovation is being used to appropriate the patent landscape

  • AI and Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead GameMarc Ramos on organic learning, personalized education, L&D as the new R&D, and top learning case studies

  • Hierarchy, dynamic organizations, and divergence in company performance

🖼️Framework

AI-Powered Scientific Search

AI is proving immensely valuable across the scientific process, including in search. An array of new or enhanced tools have sprung up that help not just in identifying relevant research, but also in contrasting and integrating findings from across research papers and fields.

I have compiled a list of some of the most interesting and useful ones. .

🧠🤖Humans + AI

Knowledge graph of 58 million papers to generate new scientific research ideas

Researchers created a knowledge graph based on 58 million journal papers to fuel personalized research ideas for scientists. Over 4400 ideas generated by the system SciMuse were evaluated by 100 research group leaders.

They were then able to predict with strong accuracy which of its ideas would be ranked most interesting, using a couple of different approaches.

The greatest future potential for science lies in interdisciplinary collaboration. Tools such as SciMuse provide massive potential for novel and unexpected research ideas that might not otherwise come to the surface.

AI innovation is being used to appropriate the patent landscape

The knowledge graph techniques for scientific discovery I have been writing about are, unfortunately, also being used for identifying patentable inventions at scale.

Ipora software scans patents, peer-reviewed papers, and technology-related texts, looking for potential patentable inventions by combining previously unconnected ideas.

The system can ialso dentify patterns in a company's patent filings, potentially allowing companies to predict a competitor's next moves. Imagine a future where AIs predict each other's inventions, creating an innovation arms race.

AI and Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game

I often used to reference Hermann Hesse’s masterpiece The Glass Bead Game, which won him the Nobel Prize for literature, as my favorite book. This has been used as a metaphor and application for recursive multi-agentic reasoning structures.

The paper is quite a read, but strongly recommended for those interested.

🎙️This week’s podcast episode

Marc Ramos on organic learning, personalized education, L&D as the new R&D, and top learning case studies  

Why you should listen

As the world accelerates learning is becoming more and more important. AI not only amplifies corporate learning, but also changes the nature of work and what needs to be learned. Marc Ramos’s extensive experience as a Chief Learning Officer and his original perspectives cast light on the path forward for organizational learning.

💡Reflections

Hierarchy, dynamic organizations, and divergence in company performance

My experience in Korea last week was fascinating.

I lived and worked for over 3 years in Japan, which is a very interesting reference point for Korea. There are many similarities, in the fusion of the traditional and the new, the products of rapid industrialization in the second half of the twentieth century, and in particular a culture strongly derived from Confucian principles.

This was central to Japan’s wholesale adoption of Chinese culture in the first millenia. Korean royalty deliberately introduced Confucianism to instill respect and deference to autority.

Companies in both Japan and Korea are heavily based on hierarchy and seniority. Some companies have moved to more Western-style flatter organizational structures, but for most shifts are more surface level, with hierarchy still dominating, it seems.

Many Korean companies have achieved global success, notably in auto and heavy industries, but also in technology.

While I have far from deep insights, what I heard from those working in some of the largest global Korean companies made me wonder they have the organizational dynamics that will allow them to succeed in an accelerating world.

More generally, I have talked about the divergence in performance of organizations for over 15 years.

While data has borne out my thesis, the reality is that most organizations have managed to survive, even if they are not truly equipped for today’s pace of change.

Whether they are in Korea or anywhere else, traditional hierarchical organizations based on deference will increasingly struggle.

Organizational cultures have to change.

How long they have to adapt or die is hard to say. But the writing is on the wall.

Thanks for reading!

Ross Dawson and team