What is 'Emergent Intelligence'?

an intelligent system that gradually emerges from simpler systems, instead of being the subject of top-down design

Scientists observe that collective bodies of individuals can develop their own form of intelligence that is greater than the sum of their parts.

“An example of emergent behavior can be found in the insect world, where colonies of simple creatures like ants or termites will form together spontaneously to build very complex structures such as underground colonies or mounds that reach meters into the air, including elaborate cooling ducts and heat-dispersing fins.”

In psychology, the term emergence refers to “the existence or formation of collective behaviors  — what parts of a system do together that they would not do alone.”

We continue to be interested in the idea of best practice. As we work amongst many different organizations in a similar space, we develop a specific knowledge that our clients value. We become better at noticing their needs, we get better at explaining our trade to people who don’t share our training, and we find new ways to make work easier for everyone.

If we work alone, our work is only as good as the efforts of a single person. If we collaborate with our teammates, we will always learn something new. We become more professional and more refined through the process of working collectively. Our understanding of best practice comes from this interaction within our group.

This is the emergence at Sutro Li. We are building a knowledge base in Notion to capture our emerging intelligence - a refined best practice that is more complete than any individual’s thoughts, principles, or efforts.