StanfordMediaXKeynote2017a talk built by John Seely Brown (jsb) and Ann Pendleton-Jullian (apj)

delivered by JSB April 20, 2017

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 1

Sense-MakinginOurPostAlphaGoWorld

Thegamehaschanged.Therealquestionis:“havewe?”Frommypointofview,theactofsense-makingchangedlastyearwhenadeeplearningcomputerprogramdefeatedahumanprofessionalattheabstractstrategygameofGo.InMarch2016,GoogleDeepMind’sAlphaGodefeatedMr.LeeSedol,winnerof18worldtitlesandwidelyconsideredthegreatestGoplayerofrecenthistory.ItwasamomentthatIthinkquitehonestlyshockedtheworld,andonethatcausesustostepbackandrethinkwhatwedo,whoweare,andhowwecreatemeaning.InthispostAlphaGoworld,whatarethenewmindsetsweshouldbeadopting?Whatarethenewlensesthatmayberequiredtomakesenseoutofthecomplexandexponentiallychangingworldwe'rein?OURPASTCONTEXTLookingatourpastcontext,the20thcenturywasacenturydominatedbyapusheconomy.Almostallcorporatestrategyandorganizationalarchitectureswerebasedonthenotionofscalableefficiency.Wecouldanticipatewithrelativeaccuracywhatwe’dneed,buildhugenumbersofproducts,puttheminwarehouses,anddistributethemefficiently.Workingina20thcenturycontextrequiredpredictability,hierarchy,andanunderstandingoforganizationalroutines.Allactionsweredriventowardminimizingvariance.Whenanewtechnologycameontothesceneanddisruptedthestatusquo,theresponsetooktheformofan“S”curvewithtimeonthex-axisandproductivityonthey-axis.Ittookseveralyearstounderstandhowbesttousethetechnologyandintegrateitintoourbusinessandorganizationalstructures,butoncethatwasmastered,productivityskyrocketedbeforeeventuallyplateauingovertime.Thiswholeprocesswouldtakeapproximately40yearsuntilanotherdisruptivetechnologywasintroducedandtheprocessstartedalloveragain.Inthisenvironment,the“HolyGrail”wasscalableefficiency.Ifyoumasteredthat,youwereset.Almostallcorporatestrategiesweresimplevariantsofthat.

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 2

Thenthebigshifthappened.Weweresuddenlyinaworldofexponentials.Insteadofstabilizingafter40or50years,technologicalchangehasbeennever-ending.Theadjustmentperiodforatechnologicalinnovationdecreasesfromseveralyearstoseveralmonths.Thenewexponentialcurvethatemergedwasdrivenbymanyfastandpunctuatedevolutionslastinganaverageofabout16to18months,eachonechangingthegameslightly.Onesimpleconsequenceofthisisthatyesterday’sbestpracticesarerapidlybecomingoutdated.Ourbestpracticesfromjusttwoyearsago,letalone20yearsago,needtobeupdated.Perhapsmoreinterestingisthatourinstitutionalarchitecturesandevenourwaysofknowingarebecomingoutdated.Infrastructureisnotjusttechnology!Howmightwedevelopnewpractices,institutionsandmindsetstoaddressthis?

ThisacceleratingcycleofobsolescenceisaddressedinKevinKelly'swonderfulbookcalledTheInevitable:Understandingthe12TechnologicalForcesThatWillShapeOurFuture.Hestatesthattheaveragelifespanofaphoneappisbecomingaslowas30days;youwon'thavetimetomasteranythingbeforeitisdisplaced.Dowereallycallthisprogress?Wehavetothinkaboutthisdilemmainnewways,differentthanwehaveinthepast.

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 3

So,letmezoomoutforamomentandlookatthisslightlymorebroadly.Whatdoesitmeantobeinthiskindofworld?IwanttolookatthispostAlphaGoworldthroughthreedifferentlenses.Thefirstisthroughanoperationallens,thenanepistemologicallens,andfinallyanontologicallens.Theanswertohowweliveinthisworldcomesfromthecompositeofknowinghowtolookatthisthroughallthree. ANOPERATIONALLENS Let'sstartbackdownthiscrazypath,firstthroughtheoperationallens:anewwayofdoingthings.Ithinkitcanbecharacterizedbythreequitedifferenteras,andthelearningstrategiesandwaysofleadingrequiredtobesuccessfulineach.Thefirsteraismyparents’generation.WhenIwasgrowingup,Iapproachedmycareerlikeasteamship,decidingwheretogoandsimplypoweringthroughthechallengeswithgrit.Thesurvivalstrategywastopracticealotofsteadypersistence.Thatwashowmanypeopleofmyageweretaughttobehaveinordertobesuccessful. ButIlovesailingandIbegantofind,startingmycareerintheearlydigitalage,thatthesuccessfulcareertrajectoryofmygenerationrequiredadifferentapproach-playingwiththewindslikeasailboatinsteadofpoweringthroughthewaterwithenginesandthrottle.Usingnaturallyoccurringforcestoanadvantage.Inasailboat,whenyougetblownoffcoursewhatdoyoudo?Youtack.ThenIcametoSiliconValleyandlearnedthattackingiscalledpivoting.So,whatdoyoudo?Youpivot.Ifounditwasaloteasier(andmoreinteresting)thanjustplowingahead. Butnowwe’relivinginanetworkedagethatrequiresaquitedifferentapproachthanthatofasailboatorasteamship.MycolleagueAnnPendleton-JullianandIthinkoftodayasaworldofwhitewaterinwhichthesailboatmetaphorisreplacedbythatofthewhitewaterkayaker.

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 4

Thiseraisnolongeraboutjustdeepeningindividualexpertisewithinasilo.Inthisincreasinglyfast,radicallycontingentandhyper-connectedworld,itismuchmoreaboutparticipatingin,andshaping,knowledgeflows.Itisaquestionofhowoneparticipatesinthesechaoticflowsallaroundus?Howdoweridethem?Howdoweworkwiththem?Howdowestaybalancedandembeddedwhenallisinflux?

Theremaybethreecriticalskillsforbeingakayakerinthiswhitewaterworld:1)skillfullyreadingthecurrentsanddisturbancesofthecontext,3)interpretingtheflowsforwhattheyrevealbeneaththesurfaceand4)leveragingthecurrents,disturbancesandflowsforamplifiedaction. Howdoesonereadthecurrentsanddisturbancesofthecontext?Ifyouareawhitewaterkayakeryoulearntoreadcontext,otherwiseyou’redead.Itisassimpleasthat.Understandingyourowncenterofgravityisessentialtonavigatingtheflowsbecauseyou’reinevitablygoingtogetcaughtupintheturbulenceandknockedover.Noteverythingworkssmoothly,butthereisakindofauthenticitythatenablesonetoliveinthemoment.Youwillgetusedtobeingthrownforaloss,rolling,comingbackupandglidingon.Youdonothavetimetothink,soyoumustactinthemoment–beinthemoment,andactthroughthatkindoffocusedengagement.Itisthiskindofauthenticityandadifferentsenseofknowingoneselfthatisanessentialpartofsuccessinthiswhitewaterage.Readingcontextmaybe,attheveryleast,asimportantasreadingcontent.Howdoyoulookatthesurfacetoreadwhat’sbeneaththesurface?Whatcanyouassumeabouttherocksbelow?Howdoyoureadtheripples?PaulSaffoandStewartBrandtalkaboutthisintermsofpacelayerthinking.Howdowelookatripplesuphereandseewhatisperhapsgoingondownbelow?Whatdotheflowsandripplesreallyreveal?Howdoyouplaywiththat?Wemustbeskilledinreadingthecurrentsorcontextofanygivensituation,lookingatthedisturbancesandfromthosedisturbancesgettingaglimpseofwhatkindofdeepstructureisunderlyingthesurface.

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 5

Theothercatchishowtoleveragetheseflowsanddisturbancesforamplifiedaction?howtoamplifyouragencyinthiskindofworld?Likeinkayakingtheturbulentrivers,thereisanartandadisciplinetoit.It’seasytounderstand,butinpracticehowdoesoneworkwiththesystemtocausethingstohappen?

Readingcontextisfarfromsimple.WeintheU.S.andinEuropehavealreadyexperiencedtremendouschallengesinreadingcontext.AlmostnoonesawBrexitcomingandveryfewanticipatedtheoutcomeofthe2016U.S.election.Eventhoseofuswithinfinitelypowerfuldatavisualizingtools,deeplearningalgorithms,andadvancedtechnologydidn'tseeenough.Alotofusthoughtweunderstoodhowtoreadthesignals,butwedidnotreadthecontextright.That’stosaydataanalytics–whichmanyofusworship,startingwithme–can'tdoeverything.Dataisnotthesameasinformation.It’snotthesameasbeliefsandit’snotthesameasvalues.Knowingtherightquestionsandunderstandingtheprofounddifferencesbetweendata,information,beliefs,andvaluesiskey.

I’mgoingtoarguethattobeabletoseemorewehavetore-acquaintourselveswiththepowerofimagination.Theimaginationiswhatenablesustoescapethetyrannyofthepresent;itallowsustoseebeyondwhatourpresentassumptionsdefineaspossible.Almostallourtrainingabouthowtolookatthefutureextrapolatesthepresent.Howdowebegintoblastoutofthat?

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 6

Ithinkit'sfairtosaythatthisrelentlesspaceofchangeanddisruptionssuggestthatincrementallearningwillnolongersuffice.Unfortunately,that'swhatwearewelltrainedtodo.Weareallskilledatincrementallearning.So,asignificantpartofthisbigshiftisaboutlearningtomovefromaworldofscalableefficiencytooneofscalablelearninginthesenseofparticipatinginflows,generatingnewknowledgeonthefly,andtestingitinaction.Andforscalablelearningtobeeffective,wehavetoembracetheunlearningofoldhabits,oldassumptions,andevenoldmodesofinquiry.Ithinkthisisathingthatmanyofusfindalmostimpossibletodo.Howdowestarttoreframe?Howdoweacceptbecominganewbie?Notbecominganewbiejustonetime,butoverandoveragain?Thisistheworldmostofushavejustwalkedinto.

It’sfairtoaskhowoneshouldgoaboutdoingthis.Toanswerthis,Iwanttotakeyouthroughtwoquickexamplesbeforewemoveintosomedeeperepistemologicalissues.OneexamplethathasreallyimpressedmeishowJackHidary,technologyandfinancialentrepreneur,co-founderoftheAutoXPrizeandoneofthearchitectsoftheCashforClunkersprogram,andsometimepoliticalcandidate,approacheslearningnewthings.WhileaddressingagroupofCEOsinAspen,heraisedaverysimplequestiontotheroom:“Howoftendoyougetoutofyourcomfortzone?”

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 7

Gettingoutofyourcomfortzoneisincreasinglyimportantinthisglobalworldofconstantchange.Infact,maybeit'sgettingoutofyourcomfortzonethatreallymattersthemost.Buthowdoyougetoutofyourcomfortzoneandlearnanything?OnanotheroccasionattheAspenInstitute,IranintoJackandaskedhimwhathewasdoingthere.Itwasanenergyconferenceandhedoesn’tworkinenergy.Hesatdownnexttomeandtoldmeaboutaverysimplepracticehehasbuiltthatblewmymind.Everyyearhechoosesaconferencetogotoonasubjectthatheknowsnothingaboutbutwantstoengagewith.Thefirstdayheattendsallthelectures.Thenextdayhedoesn'tgotoanyofthelectures,butinstead,hangsoutaroundthecoffeeinordertopickupthegenresofcommunicationbeingusedinthatparticularcommunityofpractice.Helearnshowtheytalktoeachother,howtheyaskeachotherquestionsandthelittlesubtletiesofspeechthatarekeytothiscommunity.Thenonthethirddaywhenhehasfiguredoutenoughaboutthecontentandtheinteractionalpatterns,hetakestherisk,divesin,and,despitethepotentialforexposinghisignorance,engagesinconversation.Heriskslookinglikeafoolveryoften,butthat’showhe,notonlygetsoutofhiscomfortzone,butlearnsatanamplifiedrate.What’sevenmoreinterestingisthatatthatconferencehepickedupenoughtobeabletomakeasignificantimpact.WhenhereturnedtoNewYorkCityheusedthenewinformationhe’dgatheredfromtheenergyconferenceandspokewithmayorBloombergabouttheneedformoreenergyefficiencyinpublictransportation.ThiseventuallycontributedtoBloomberglaunchinghishybridtaxiinitiativeinNewYorkCity.Twomonthslater,HidarywentdowntoWashingtonandhelpedtogettheCashforClunkersprogramthroughCongress.Fromjustthosethreedays,usinghissocialprotocol,Jacklearnedenoughabouttheenergylandscapetofosterasenseofagencyandtoultimatelymakepositivechangesbyleveragingtheflowshappeningaroundhim.There’ssomethingveryinterestingthereIthink.Hehasmasterednotonlygettingoutsideofhiscomfortzone,butalsolearningfromiteachtimeandmakingadirectimpactwiththatnewknowledge.

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 8

We’vetraditionallybeentaughttobecome“experts”whotreatknowledgeasstocksratherthanasflow.Expertstodaytendtoisolatethemselvesfromflowsofnewknowledgeandthepeoplecreatingthem.AccordingtoHidary,mostpeoplebecometoodependentononefacetoftheirlivesandwhenonefacettakesup80percentofsomeone’stotalexposedsurfacearea,theytendtobecomedefensiveandprotectiveofit.Thisoldwayofdoingthingswillnolongersuffice.WhenIthinkaboutstartingtoreframe,Ioftencomebacktosurfing.It'sstunningtomehowworldchampionsurfersdoalmostexactlywhatJackdoesbutwithintheirowndomain.They'reconstantlymovingaroundtheworldtopickupnewthings.Theytalktotheirboardmakerstocreatetoolsandequipmentforcontinuouslytryingnewthings.Eachtimetheygetinthewaterthey’regrapplingwiththevariabilityofthewave,theirboard,andtheirowncapacitiesandlimitations;allencountersrequirethattheylistendeeplytothereciprocalforcesandresponses.Ifyouwanttobethehighestperformingpersoninsomethinglikesurfingyouhavetodothat.

So,Ithinkthecatch,moregenerally,ishowdowethinkabouthonoringandamplifyingtheserendipityofencounters?Howdoweorchestrateserendipityformaximumlearning?Therearemanywaystoorchestrateserendipityintoourlivesmoreoften,likeJack,sothatwe’remorecomfortablenavigatinguncertaintywhenitarises.Bychoosingserendipitousenvironments,developingserendipitypracticesandenhancingserendipitypreparednesswecanpracticedeeplisteningandadaptourselvesoutoftheoldwaysofdoingthings.Choosetoimmerseyourselfinconferences,institutions,geographic“spikes,”socialnetworks,orcommunitiesofinterestdedicatedtounfamiliartopics.Practicegettingoutofyourcomfortzone,exposingyoursurfacesandadoptingabeginner’smindset.Enhanceyourabilitytodeeplylisten,developagamer’sdisposition,andstrengthenyourexplorationandrelationshipskills.

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 9

Thisbringsmetomysecondexample:thepowerofreversementorship.WehavesomuchtolearnfromwhatIrefertoas‘thekids’.Itcanbeastrangeexperienceatfirst,becauseitcanbeveryhumbling.Forme,reversementorshipwasapersonalexperiencethatwasarealeye-opener.WhenIsteppeddownfromXEROXPARCintheyear2000,IwantedtoentertheworldofvideogamedesignandmasterthemultiplayergameslikeWorldofWarcraft.IgaveatalkandJ.C.Hertz,a24-year-oldthatwastheNewYorkTimes’criticforgames,wasalsoonthepanel.Webothgaveprettygoodtalks,andshecameuptomeafterwardsandsaid,“John,thatwasareallygreattalkbutIcantellyoudon’tunderstandanything.Yougotthetopicright,butit’snotinyou.Youdon’treallygetit.”Interested,Ispokewithheraboutitmoreandshesaid,“I’lltellyouwhat,youseemcleverenoughandopenenoughthatifyouwant,comeapprenticeshipwithme.”Isaid,“InNewYorkCity?”Shesaid,“Yes.IfyouflyoutanddoeverythingIsay,aboutayearfromnowyouwillbeacceptedbymanyofthegreatgamedesignersintheUnitedStates.”So,Isaid,"Gameon."

Itturnedouttobeoneofthemostshockingexperiencesofmylife.Forthenextyearshementoredmeandintroducedmetoallkindsofpeopleinthegamingcommunity.OnoneofmyfirstassignmentsIfeltlikealittlekid,becauseshewastheteacherandIwasthestudent,butasyouprobablygathered,afterayearIbecamemuchmoreengagedinWorldofWarcraftandI’vewrittenafairnumberofpapersonitsincethen.

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 10

Thepowerofthiskindofreversementorshipbecameveryinterestingtome.Thisideaofthe“endlessnewbie”hastobe,tosomedegree,thenewdefaultforeveryonenomatteryourageoryourexperience.Allofus–everyoneofus–whetherwechooseitornot,willneedtobeendlesslyanewbieasweacttokeepupwiththeacceleratingpaceofchange.Reversementorshipisapowerfulwaytokeepushumbleanditturnsouttobeamazinghowmuchwelearnfrompeopleinyoungergenerations.Thatissomethingwecanalldotodaytostartbuildingcomfortwiththiswhitewaterworld.ANEPISTEMOLOGICALLENS Besideslookingatthiscomplexchallengeoperationallyintermsofhabits,wemustalsostepbackandlookatitepistemologically.Thisisashiftfromknowing(thewhat)tounderstanding(thehowandthewhy).Wetalkedabouthowincrementallearningwillnolongersuffice,butnowI'mgoingtoclaimthatbeyondcontinuouslearningwemustalsobewillingtoconstantlyreframeourunderstandingoftheworld.Wemustregrindourconceptuallenses,andregrindthemoften.Tosayitsomewhatdifferently,howdowecometobuildunderstanding,livinginthisglobalnetworkedagewherechangeisexponentialandeverythingisdenselyinterconnected?Weusedtobeabletoisolatethingsandlearnabouttheminisolation.Todaythatnolongerworks.

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 11

Mostofusareprettygoodatassimilatingthingsthatfitwithinourcurrentframes–ourcurrentworldview-butwe’renotsogoodatbreakingframe.Inpsychology,wecallthat‘fittingofthingsintocurrentframes’assimilation.Butweneedtomovefromassimilationtoaccommodation.Wecanforcefitalmostanythingintoourcurrentframe,oftenthroughdenialofthoseaspectsthatdon’tfit,butourrealtaskistoconstructorappropriatenewframes,onesthatchallengeourcurrentbeliefsandhonortheessenceofthesituationwearepresentedwith?Inotherwords,howdowetakeseriouslyaccommodationinthispostAlphaGoworld?Ithinkit’sfairtosaythatinthisexponential,globallyinterlacedworldwhereeverythingisdenselyinterconnected,ourproblemshavemovedfrombeingsemi-linearproblemstocomplexones.Thatistosay,theseproblemsarenolongerjustcomplicated.Everyoneisusedtodealingwithcomplicatedproblems,butwehavetotakeseriouslythefactthatcomplicatedisnotthesameascomplex.Instartingtounderstandhowtodealwithacomplex,non-stableproblemwemustunderstandthatsimplytouchingorprobingtheproblemwilllikelyhaveunintendedconsequences,therebychangingtheproblem,itself.ParagKhanna,theinternationalrelationsexpert,globalstrategistandbest-sellingauthor,articulatesthiswellinTheSecondWorld,"Thereisnospecialsphereoftheenvironment,nodistinctlandsofoil,nodetachedglobaleconomy,noseparateissuesofpublichealth…Whenwetrytopickoutanyoneissuebyitselfwefindithitchedtoeverythingelseintheuniverse.”“Becauseofthis,itisincreasinglyimportanttounderstandtheworldasasingleorganisminwhichactionsinoneplaceoftenaffecteventsinanotherandsmallmoves,smartlymadeandwellplaced,canhavedisproportionateimpactbeyondtheireffort.Werecognizetheworldasonethatisinthemidstofuniqueandfundamentalchanges–asonethatisradicallycontingentuponcontextsthatevolve,conditionsthatchangeandamultitudeofinterconnectionsthatemergeandreformindynamicways.”(ThislastbitfrommycolleagueAnnPendleton-Jullianwhohasbeenworkingonthesekindsofproblemsforyearsnow.)IntheWorldEconomicForum’sRiskReports,everyyeartheycreateaseriesofdiagramsoftherisklandscape.Inthese,theytrytodrawthelinkagesinvolvedinmajorcrises

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 12

aroundtheworldandyoucanbegintoseehowentangledeverythingbecomes.Everythingimpactseverythingelse.Forinstance,globalgovernancefailureisonegeopoliticalcenterofgravity,depictedatthecenterofthestarinthediagrambelow.Asyoucansee,itishighlyinterconnectedandacontingentrisktothreecriticalconnectorsandthreeothercentersofgravity.Thislinkedandcontingentperspectiveisamajornewepistemologicallensforbeginningtobeabletobuildunderstandingofthesetypesofentanglements,anditisnecessaryinordertomakeprogressonthesecomplexproblems. Asshorthand,thesetypesofcomplex,interconnected,volatile,uncertain,andambiguousproblems,havebeencalled“wickedproblems.”TheclassicnotionofawickedproblemcomesfromHorstRittelandMelvinWebberobservingthatassoonasyouattempttosolvethesekindsofproblems,theymorph.The“Catch-22”ofwickedproblemsisthatyoucannotlearnabouttheproblemwithouttryingsolutions,buteverysolutionyoutryhaslastingunintendedconsequencesthatarelikelytospawnnewwickedproblems.Examplesofwickedproblemsincludeglobalwarming,financialcrises,terrorism,environmentaldesign,homelessness,andsoon.Saidverysimply,weneednewwaystomovefrommechanisticthinkingtounderstandingcontextsandproblemsthatchangeandevolvebecauseofentangledsetsofexchangeswithcomplexfeedbackloops.Thinkdynamicattractors,networkaffordances,andcontextualpropensities.Thinkclouds,notclocks.AsKarlPopper,thegreatphilosopher,said,"Allproblemsareeithercloudsorclocks.Oneoftheproblemswehaveasacultureisthatwetakecloudsandwepretendthatthey'reclocks.Tounderstandaclockyoucantakeitapart,lookatitsindividualpieces,studythepieces,andthenyoucanunderstandhowtheclockworks.Acloudyoucan'ttakeapart.Acloudisfundamentallyadynamicsystem.Acloudyoucanonlystudyasawhole.”Thisisoneofthemajorepistemologicalchallengeswe'rewalkinginto.Thesearethenewcontextsthatweareplayingin.

John Seely Brown + Ann Pendleton-Jullian, "Sense-Making in Our Post AlphaGo World" 13

Perhapsthiswhitewaterworldmayrequireanewsense,a“seventhsense”asJoshCooperRamocallsit.Weunderstandthecurrentroadthroughoursixsenses.MaybeweneedaseventhsensethatunderstandswhatitmeanstobeembeddedinthesenetworkflowsthatIwastalkingaboutearlier.InhisnewbooktitledSeventhSense,Ramosays,“Theseventhsenseistheabilitytolookatanyobjectandseethewayinwhichitischangedbyconnection(letalonehyperconnection).Whetheryou'recommandinganarmy,runningaFortune500company,planningagreatworkofart,orthinkingaboutyourchild’seducation.”Thesearealldeeplyinterconnectedproblemstoday.Butunderlyingallthis,workingagainstourprogress,isacrisisofimagination.Weneedtosee–toimagine-thewaysinwhicheverythingischangedbyhyper-connectivity.Howdowestarttofindwaystoimaginethosekindsofinterconnectionsandwhattheyentail?

Theimaginationisthepowerorcapacityofhumanstoformmentalimagesofobjectsandsituations,whethervisual,auditory,ormotorimages.Theimaginationdoessomeamazingthingsforus.Itclosesthegapbetweenwhatisnovelandwhatisknown.Itfindsconnectionsbetweenthingsthatarenotobvious.Itplayswithboundaries.Itletsthoughtsandpartialthoughtsjumpfences.Itengagesinsense-breaking–asopposedtojustsense-making–inordertomakesenseinanewwayandseenewpossibilities.Inseeingnewpossibilities,imaginationhelpsusescapethetyrannyofthepresent.We'reoperatinginatimewherethetyrannyofthepresentisthegame.So,imagination,mycolleagueAnnPendleton-JullianandIwanttoargue,isnotafluffybunny(herwords)add-on.It'snotjustrelevantwithinthedomainsoftheartsandhumanitiesasanembellishment,butratheritcrosscutstheentirecognitivespectrum.Anditisnecessaryforradicalreframingtomakeprogressoncomplexproblemsandtheevolutionofsocietymorebroadly.

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ANONTOLOGICALLENSWenowshiftfromtheepistemologicalissueswe'vebeentalkingabouttolookatthisontologically.Toconstructdeeperunderstandingstodayweneedtodevelopanewwayofbeing–anewontology.We’retalkingaboutsomethingveryfundamentalhere.Thisnewontologyisablendingoftwotraditionalwaysofbeingandanewlyelevatedone:HomoSapiens,manasknower,HomoFaber,manasmaker,andHomoLudens,manwhoplays.

IntheeducationworldandinmuchofthescienceworldweknowhowtoslipbackandforthbetweenthetwoboundariesofHomoSapiensandHomoFaberrathereasily.Yet,wedon'ttalkmuchaboutHomoLudens,manwhoplays.Playhasseveraldimensionstoit.Oneoftheseisabouthowyoubegintounderstandtheplayofasystem.HowmuchcanIpushthissystem?Howmuchoftheseentanglementscanbepulledapart?That'swhatisreallyrequiredtofigureouthowtodosomethingnew.Thereissomethingveryinterestingabouthowyougetafeelforsomethingbyseeinghowitpushesback.Butplayisalsoaboutplayingwiththerulesthatguardoursense-making;oneplaysinorder

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tohelpbreaksense,inordertobeabletoreframe.So,thisnewwayofbeing–thisnewontology-isablendedontologyofHomoLudensasmuchasHomoFaberwheremostofusarebroughtupthinkingthatHomoSapiensdefinesus.ThishasbeenoneofthefoundationalconceptsthathasemergedfromtheworkmycolleagueAnnPendleton-Jullianhasbeendoingtoredefinethedesignbrieffortheuniversityofthe21stcenturyandworkwithGeorgetownstudentsinthesettingofher‘wickedproblems’studiostodesigntheUniversityof2033.Whatwereallywanttoargueisthatinthisnewontologyforthe21stcentury,allthreearecriticalequallyandthattheyareboundtogetherbytheimagination.Wetendtothinkofimaginationasonlygenerativementalactivitythatartistsandcreativesworkwith,buttheimaginationplaysaveryfundamentalroleinallcognitiveactivity.Theimaginationservesdiversecognitiveprocessesacrossanentirespectrumofactivities.Thatisthefirstprincipleofourbook,PragmaticImagination.Therefore,theimaginationiscriticalforhowweareasHomoSapiens,HomoFaber,andHomoLudens.Ifwetakethenewnormofconstantfluxseriously,wehavetoworktowardsanewontology,anewwayofbeing,wherewemayactuallyexistinaconstantstateofbecoming.Ifyoucanownandembodythatnewontology,thenconstantchangebecomesafriend.Theconstantstateoffluxisnotseenassomethingtofear,butasanadventure.

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ABLENDEDONTOLOGYWITHHUMAN&MACHINENow,Iwanttocomebacktowherewestarted.Thegameischanging.Ifwetakethisblendedontologyseriously,thenhowdowemakesenseofwheredeeplearningandmachinelearningaregoing?Howdowenowaccountforintelligentaugmentationandartificialintelligenceinthisblendedontology?Merelytakingatechnologicalperspectivetolookingatthesechallengesisnotenough.Wemustmoveawayfrom“techsplaning”everythingandinsteaduseradicalhumanismtocometotermswiththeproblemsthatweourselvesarecreatingwithandfortheworld.Theuniquepowerofthehumanimaginationcomesinpartfromitsabilitytointegrateopposingqualitieslikeemotionandreason,curiosityandcertainty,ormanandmachine.

I'mreallystruckbytheexamplefromfreestylechess.Weallknowwecanbuildamazingmachinesthathavebeatsomeoftheworld'sbestchessplayers,butwhatisn’ttalkedaboutasmuchisthefreestylechesstournamentswherehumanplayerscanuseanyaugmentedtechnologiestheychoose.Whatsurprisedmeisthatamoderatechessplayercoupledwithamoderatehacker–workingdeeplywitheachother–canbeataworldchampionchessplayerandanyknownchessmachine.Thecombinationofcreativityand

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machineintelligenceallowsthemtoplaylikeneverbefore.Thereissomethingmagicalaboutcombiningthefreeimaginationofone,whichdoesn'thavetoworryaboutbeingcorrectandlogical,withtheincrediblecomputationalpoweroftheother.Thebeautyofthisexampleoffreestylechessisseeingthemworktogetherinthefield,seamlesslycomplimentingeachother,achievingalmostanewstateofbeing.So,maybethere'sanewkindofblendbetweenmanandmachinethatwehaven'ttalkedenoughaboutyet.Thissimplecaseisaneyeopener. Aswethinkaboutnewwaysofbeing,howmightweincludeartificialintelligence(AI)andintelligentaugmentation(IA)toolsinthisnewblendedontology?SupposewegobackandtakeourtriangleofHomoSapiens,HomoFaberandHomoLudensandnowaddIA.WhatwehaveissomethingquitedifferentbecausewenowhavewaystohavespecializedIAsincreasethecapacityofeachpointofthetriangle.ThewayIAdevicesworkinaHomoSapienscontextaredifferentfromthewaystheywillworkwithHomoFaberandHomoLudens.IAsystemsinallthreecontextswillbecompletelydifferent.So,somehowthesethreethings–HomoSapiens,HomoFaber,andHomoLudens–augmentedinuniquewaysbydifferentkindsofIAandfusedbyimagination,starttoproducethingsthatarequiteunimaginable.Now,itiseasytothinkabouthowtoaugmenttheindividualinawaythatisablendofknowingmakingandplaying,butIwanttopushustothinkabouthowtorealizethesetoolsonagreaterscale.Thesetoolsthatwe’redealingwitharethemselvespartofamuchmorecomplexnetworkedworldandallofus,wheneverwedoanything,areconnectedtoothersaswell.Howdoyoucreateakindofdistributedcommunityofpracticethathasasenseofinterconnectionenoughtobeabletocreatesomethingquitenewcalledanetworkedimagination?Howdowemakesenseofwhatthisnewblendedontologyiscapableof?

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ButIwanttoencourageustonotbenaïve,becauseindoingthisaugmentation,bothindividualandcollectively,wehavetobeawarethatthedataandsomeofthealgorithmswe’reusingtendtooperateasblackboxes.Thisisespeciallyexacerbatedwhendonewithdeep-learningsystemsbecauseweknowthatthedatausedcarriesallthebiaseswithitthatitwasgeneratedfrom.Andtheunknownbiasesunderlyingdeeplearningcanbeadvisingtheactions.Sense-makingherebecomesinterestingbecausetheoldtechniquesandassumptionsdon’twork.Thinkofacasewherealoanwasdenied.Nowwhywasthisloandenied?Wetrustthemachinebecauseweseeitasanunbiasedthirdparty,butthedatausedbythemachinewascuratedinawaythatreconstitutedredlining.Redlining–thedenialofaloanorinsurancebecausethepersonseekingtheloanlivesinanareathatisdeemedtobeapoorfinancialrisk-isaFederaloffense,butthedatausedhadcomefromthisunspokenpractice.Inessence,thismachinereinventedredlining.Therewasnothinginthecodethattoldthemachinetoredline.Norwasthereanyexplicitwaytoseetheinherentbiasesinthedata.Wearenowconfrontedwithhavingtogeneratenewformsofforensicsinordertotellwhatmighthavebeenunknowinglyencodedinthebehaviorofthesystem.Ourchallengeisinrecognizingthatwe'renotgoingtogettherethisbylookingatthecodealone.Weneedtobecultivatingabettersocialawarenessofhowthedatausedtodrivethesesystemsiscollectedandcurated.

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So,letmesuggestthattheremaybeablindspotinAIresearch.KateCrawfordandRyanCaloeloquentlyoutlinedthisinanissueofNaturewheretheysaid,“Asocial-systemsanalysisisneededthatdrawsonphilosophy,law,sociology,anthropology,scienceandtechnologystudies…OnlybyaskingbroaderquestionsabouttheimpactsofAIcanwegenerateamoreholisticandintegratedunderstanding.”Thisisespeciallytruewithrespecttothecurationofdatausedtotrainthesedeeplearningsystems.We'renottrainedtothinkholisticallyandyetwehavecreatedtheverytechnologiesthatnowdemandthatwe’reabletodothat.Letmealsosuggestanotherproblemtobeawareof.Manyofthesenewinfrastructureinnovationsexhibitanasymmetrybetweenthosedevelopingthetechnology,creatingtheprotocolsandbuildingthegatewaysandeveryoneelsewhosefutureswillbeshapedbytheseinfrastructures.Howdowebegintobalanceoutthisasymmetry?Withnewcapabilities,therearisesnewconflictsandwithnewchallengesalsocomenewopportunities.WealreadyseeGoogleandFacebookengagedinthisconflict. Therearetheradicallynewinfrastructuresthataredisruptingthepresentandredefiningourfuture:artificialintelligence(AI),intelligentaugmentation(IA),bigdata,cloudcomputing,cognitivecomputing,deeplearningmachines,augmentedreality,theInternetofThings(IoT),theInternetofInternetofThings(IIOT),blockchain(e.g.bitcoin)andbiotech(e.g.CRISPR).Wearetrackingmostofthese,buthereistherealfact;theseforcesinteractinunforeseeableways.Whilethey’remostlysynergistic,eachwillamplifytheothersmakingtheirimpactandconsequencesevenhardertopredict.Consideringtheunexpectedemergentoutcomesfrombeinginanetworked,whitewaterworld,wemustlearntonavigatetheseoperational,epistemologicalandontologicalshifts.Ourchallengetodayistounderstandwhatsense-makingisinaworldthatwon’tstaystableforourstandardstrategiestobeeffective.Mostofourpressingproblemstodayarewicked.Ourtoolsareincreasinglyopaque.Ourmodelsandframes,byandlarge,arefundamentallyoutdated.WeneedtoescapethetyrannyofthepresentandmeetheadonthecrisisofimaginationinthispostAlphaGoworld.Thankyou.