Steve Omohundro does research on intelligent systems and is writing a book on the emerging global mind.
Emergent intelligence is everywhere you look. A lone E. Coli bacterium has only a tiny brain. But colonies of E. Coli form communicating biofilms that can learn and make predictions. Social insects, multi-cellular organisms, ecosystems, immune systems, corporations, and human societies all sense, reason, and act through the cooperative efforts of their components. Cells in a body are analogous to termites in a mound, to employees in a corporation, and to participants in an economy. There are universal laws which govern the formation, growth, function, and dysfunction of emergent intelligences. By understanding these laws we are better equipped to make effective choices.
Our own bodies and minds are collectives. Only 10% of our cells are human, the other 90% come from more than 2000 different species and form our body as a kind of ecosystem. Our psyches also emerge from interacting parts which can have conflicting thoughts and desires. These interactions occur in common patterns and enormous self-insight and growth can come from understanding them.
Humanity itself is rapidly becoming an emergent intelligence that some are calling the “global brain”. We are now interconnected by a billion computers, four billion cellphones, and a trillion webpages. Web traffic increases by 50% per year. All businesses are becoming network businesses and every person is becoming a global citizen.
Old media business models are failing at the same time that huge new opportunities are being created. For example, the “StomperNet” information product earned $18.3 million for its creators in its first 24 hours. The ability to profit from and contribute to the new environment requires an understanding of the underlying social media dynamics.
Emergent systems become dysfunctional when parts with conflicting desires create negative cycles of interaction. Addiction, disease, relationship strain, family trauma, corporate malfeasance, and internet spam all arise in this way. The laws provide us with guidelines for healing dysfunctions and for creating more cooperative and effective forms of organization. In this new era of interconnectivity the future will be created by those who understand the underlying forces. Steve’s new book will give you this understanding and show you how to use it.
Steve Omohundro has had a wide-ranging career as a scientist, professor, author, software architect, and entrepreneur doing research that explores the interface between mind and matter. He has degrees in Mathematics and Physics from Stanford and a Ph.D. in Physics from U.C. Berkeley. He was a professor in the computer science department at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and cofounded the Center for Complex Systems Research. He published the book “Geometric Perturbation Theory in Physics”, designed the programming languages StarLisp and Sather, wrote the 3D graphics system for Mathematica, and built systems which learn to read lips, control robots, and induce grammars. He has worked with many research labs and startup companies and founded Self-Aware Systems to bring cooperative human values to emerging technologies. In addition to his scientific work, Steve has trained in a variety of individual and organizational change processes including Rosenberg’s Non-Violent Communication, Gendlin’s Focusing, Travell’s Trigger Point Therapy, Bohm’s Dialogue, Beck’s Life Coaching, and Schwarz’s Internal Family Systems Therapy. He is an award-winning teacher who has given hundreds of talks around the world. Some of his scientific papers and talks are available here: Scientific Contributions and here: Self-Aware Systems.
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