“Flowers for Algernon” is a classic novel by Daniel Keyes about artificial intelligence.
But not the type of artificial intelligence we’re used to talking about.
The book revolves around Charlie Gordon, a man with an IQ of 68, and a mouse named Algernon.
Algernon was the first to go under the knife, where doctors performed an experimental procedure to artificially enhance his intelligence.
It worked. Beautifully.
Algernon was passing tests with flying colors.
It went so well, they quickly put Charlie under, too.
Like Algernon, Charlie became an overnight super-genius.
BUT…
Without completely spoiling the end… a tragic fate awaited both mouse and man.
It’s a cautionary tale that applies even more today than it did when published.
In our age of artificial intelligence…
Those who rely on artificial intelligence to amplify their own intelligence will also meet a tragic fate.
Sure, it’ll work for a while. Until it doesn’t.
Now, here’s the thing…
You’re probably drowning in a sea of “let me teach you how to play with AI.”
While perhaps useful…
It’s important to learn where to throw AI overboard.
You need to know where AI is useless. Because that’s where the REAL opportunities sit.
Outsmarting AI
Large-Language Models like ChatGPT shines when it comes to a few specific things. Like when you need it to chew up information and spit out summaries.
BUT…
It tends to dole out garden-variety, commonplace insights. Why? Because that’s exactly what it’s been trained to do. ChatGPT’s raison d’être is to churn out the most likely, the most predictable word sequence in response to your prompt.
That’s it.
It’s a statistical assembly line, churning out words based on what’s come before.
For that reason…
ChatGPT won’t dazzle you with new ideas. It will serve up the usual, the predictable. Originality and creativity don’t dance to the tune of predictable word sequences.
A true gem, a new discovery, is more likely to be found in the outliers, the extremes of thought, not in the crowded, bustling middle of “most likely next word”. You can’t expect to wield a tool calibrated for the predictable and hope to create the new, the unprecedented.
Understanding this is your key to learning how to one-up AI. You see, there’s three types of thinking in the digital age. Two of them will get blindsided. The third will rule the world.
Type A: “Here’s the scoop”
This involves reporting an event, distilling information into digestible chunks. This is where you need the facts, just the facts. It’s like hiring your own personal news reporter or data sleuth.
This genre is like Starbucks – everywhere. It’s flooded with competition because it’s light on the creative juice.
The skillset here is pretty basic – no need for in-depth analysis or heavy lifting on the thinking front.
AI is great at this.
Type B: “Here’s my opinion”
Here we have a personal take on an event or idea, a reasoned extrapolation from data. The idea, the event, the research – they’re not your brainchild, but you’ve got a strong opinion on them.
Type A thinkers are info-gatherers. Type B thinkers are info-expanders: this is where analysis, educated assessments, and critical thinking enter the fray, but there’s not much scope for abstract or creative thinking.
AI is good at this.
Type C: “Here’s a new way to look at it”
This is where AI fails
This is the realm of the creative ninja. You’re conjuring up unique, creative ways to interpret or understand something, often involving abstraction.
This type of thinking is a rare species.
It’s the hardest to produce, and the stakes are high – it’s all or nothing. It’s also challenging because it demands unconventional thinking. Type C thinking isn’t about being a rebel without a cause. It’s about being bold enough to buck the trend.
AI will never be good at that.
That’s why the future leaders are Type C.
That’s where you should place all of your energy. Investing in becoming a Type C thinker.
MEANWHILE…
There will be HUGE opportunities from the tech that will blindside A and B.
Author: Chris Campbell
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