Swarm Intelligence used to Amplify the IQ of Collaborating Teams

Published on May 21, 2019

Abstract

Abstract— In the natural world, Swarm Intelligence (SI) is a well-known phenomenon that enables groups of organisms to make collective decisions with significantly greater accuracy than the individuals could do on their own. In recent years, a new technology called Artificial Swarm Intelligence (ASI) has been developed that enables similar benefits for human teams. It works by connecting networked teams into real-time systems modeled on natural swarms. Referred to commonly as “human swarms” or “hive minds,” these closed-loop systems have been shown to amplify group performance across a wide range of tasks, from financial forecasting to strategic decision-making. The current study explores the ability of ASI technology to amplify the IQ of small teams. Five small teams answered a series of questions from a commonly used intelligence test known as the Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) test. Participants took the test first as individuals, and then as groups moderated by swarming algorithms (i.e. “swarms”). The average individual achieved 53.7% correct, while the average swarm achieved 76.7% correct, corresponding to an estimated IQ increase of 14 points. When the individual responses were aggregated by majority vote, the groups scored 56.7% correct, still 12 IQ points less than the real-time swarming method.


Authors

Gregg Willcox

Gregg Willcox is the Director of Research and Development at Unanimous AI, a California company focused on the amplification of human intelligence using AI algorithms modeled after natural swarms. He studied Physics and Systems Engineering before discovering robotics and AI, earning getting his Masters in Robotics from Washington University in St. Louis. Gregg has published numerous papers on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the use of Swarm Intelligence as a basis for amplifying the intelligence of human groups.

Louis Rosenberg

Louis Rosenberg, PhD is CEO and Chief Scientist of Unanimous AI, a California company focused on amplifying the intelligence of networked human groups using AI algorithms modeled after natural swarms. Rosenberg attended Stanford University where he earned his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees. His doctoral work focused on robotics, virtual reality, and human-computer interaction. While working as a researcher at the U.S. Air Force’s Armstrong Labs in the early 1990s, Rosenberg created the ‘Virtual Fixtures’ system, the first immersive Augmented Reality platform ever built. Rosenberg then founded Immersion Corporation to pursue virtual reality technologies. As CEO of Immersion, he brought the company public in 1999 (NASDAQ: IMMR). Rosenberg also founded Microscribe, maker of the world’s first desktop 3D digitizer – the Microscribe 3D – which has been used in the production of many feature films, including Shrek, Ice Age, A Bugs Life, and Titanic. Rosenberg has also worked as a tenured Professor at California State University (Cal Poly), teaching design and entrepreneurship. Rosenberg has been awarded more than 300 patents for his technological efforts.

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