Dave Snowden on estuarine mapping, the GenAI Prism, text-to-music, AI everywhere, and more

December 21, 2023

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.” ― Haruki Murakami

What a year 2023 has been! ChatGPT’s launch was in early December 2022. The world is very different today compared to then, in so many ways.

Making these developments beneficial comes entirely from our attitude, how we frame them. If we treat AI as a tool to augment human capabilities and intent, not in any way as a substitute, we are likely to be able to make that happen. Personally I will be doing all I can to shape the discussion and action that way in 2024.

Wishing you a most wonderful festive and holiday season! We’ll be back in the New Year, catch you then.

Ross.

📖In this issue

  • AI for analyzing survey results

  • New GenAI Prism infographic

  • The implications of AI everywhere

  • Dave Snowden on estuarine mapping - beyond the Cynefin framework

  • Overcoming dopamine dependence of social media

🤸🏽In practice

Using AI for analyzing survey results

One very useful application of generative AI is analyzing qualitative survey results (we’ll cover quantitative analysis in later newsletters). In essence this is a form of summarzing a long document, however AI can grasp the fact that these are multiple responses to a questions and can readily classify and to a point enumerate the results. Ben Collins has shared a detailed guide to survey analysis using Google Sheets, including a section on AI for text response analysis.

👩🤖What you need to know in Humans + AI

GenAI Prism from Brian Solis and JESS3

A very nice landscape view of AI startup and tools from Brian Solis and visual designer JESS3 they describe as “A Framework For Collaborating With Generative AI”. It has been thoroughly developed, including filtering the most useful and prominent companies. Go to the link for an explanation and details.

AI is already democratized and will be everywhere

The pace of progress in optimizing Large Language Models means anyone can now install a powerful AI on their desktop, smartphone, or even watch. AI might become embedded into everything in the household and our environment, so it can interact intelligently, fix itself, and if you wish, talk with you.

Create music by describing it

Microsoft has released an integration with the Suno text-to-music app, which allows you to create music by describing it. To use it, launch Edge or Chrome browser, go to copilot.microsoft.com, login to Microsoft, and turn on Suno in the plugins tab on the top right. After considering the many issues from AI “art”, we need to grapple with anyone generating music from trained AI models.

🎙️Latest podcast episode

Dave Snowden on abductive reasoning, estuarine mapping, AI and human capability, and weak signal detection (AC Ep24)

🧑‍🎓What you will learn

  • Exploring abduction, beyond traditional logic and its impact on innovation and education (03:43)

  • Understanding human cognition and contrasting AI energy demands (06:44)

  • Harnessing collective intelligence for decision-making (10:08)

  • Optimism in collective decision-making and technology’s role (11:58)

  • Rethinking research through natural sciences and energy studies (14:53)

  • Innovative approaches in physics and strategy (16:33)

  • Estuary metaphor in complexity and situational assessment (22:03)

  • Integrating theory and practice in social sciences and humanities (24:37)

  • Navigating AI’s challenges and leveraging complexity principles (27:51)

  • Exploring AI’s impact and control in organizational contexts (32:01)

Overcoming the dopamine-driven dependence of social media

Stanford Professor Anna Lembke, author of Dopamine Nation, shares how dopamine drives dependence on social media, and guidance on how to overcome it.

Thank you for reading!

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