Last week, I started getting “Happy Work Anniversary!” messages on LinkedIn ... and I was a bit confused because people kept mentioning 24 years.
Twenty-four years ... That can’t be right. Can it?
For context, here’s what I looked like around that time.
My eldest son (who’s now married with a baby) was in middle school. I was just out of the events I described in my TEDx talk.
However, depending on your definition, the 24th anniversary can be true or false. Legally, the Capitalogix that exists today is distinct from the initial iteration. Additionally, the company has expanded, its direction has shifted, and what was once a one-person operation has grown into a team of over 20 individuals focused on advancing and commercializing the field of Artificial Intelligence through something we call Amplified Intelligence (which is the ability to make better decisions, take smarter actions, and continually improve performance).
Thinking back on the effort, the ideas, the people, the inventions, and even the purpose ... in some respects, it feels like change is the only constant. However, there are certain things that remain unchanged. It is by observing these unaltered elements that you can truly understand the essence of the thing itself.
It reminds me of the Ship of Theseus (also known as Theseus’ Paradox), which is a philosophical thought experiment that poses the question of whether an object that has had all of its parts replaced is still considered to be the same object. It raises issues of identity, continuity, and change over time. The concept can be applied to physical objects, living organisms, and even organizations or businesses. It challenges our understanding of what it means for something to be fundamentally the same, and if an object can remain unchanged despite undergoing significant changes over time.
The name “Capitalogix” originated in 2000, and a surprising amount of the original “North Star” purpose still exists. Looking back at my early notes and plans, I’m surprised by how much holds up despite 20+ years of passing ... but almost all of it has needed some course correction to adjust to changing tides.
Regardless, it’s staggering to think about how long I’ve worked in A.I. (since 1991, when it was hard to spell A.I.) and how far we’ve come.
If I had known how difficult it was going to be at the beginning, I would have probably never pursued it. However, after experiencing the challenges and realizing how hard it is to make meaningful progress, I feel better that I did. This is because I now know that we didn’t just create a competitive advantage – we learned how to create a sustainable competitive advantage.
It’s easy for people to focus on a capability; it’s another to make it industrial-grade, robust, reliable, and able to work in challenging conditions.
They say that things that don’t kill you make you stronger. It’s true for people, but it’s also true for technologies.
Life (and Business) constantly expose us to conditions and opportunities that lead to new beginnings and evolutionary growth.
As I write this, I see it at Capitalogix as we pursue new possibilities and probabilities.
We didn’t come this far — just to come this far!
What about you?
Onwards!
How To Make Real-Time Decisions
I recently came across an interesting technique that fighter pilots use to make fast and accurate decisions in high-stakes situations.
The Air Force calls it an OODA Loop.
It is an iterative feedback model that Colonel John Boyd designed as a foundation for rational thinking in chaotic situations like dogfights.
It stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act.
via Wikipedia
Why do people use decision models? Obviously, to make better decisions. But really, they use models to create a process that avoids many of the mistakes or constraints that prevent good decisions.
You make countless decisions every day - and at a certain point, you reach decision fatigue. It can be harder to make decisions when you are tired, after you've made too many, or when the intensity of the environment distracts or drains you.
It's one of the reasons I rely on artificial intelligence. Here are some others.
Nonetheless, many algorithms are dynamic and adaptive automation of processes or strategies that humans have used successfully before.
So, let's take a closer look at the OODA Loop, which stemmed from analyzing many interactions between and among fighter pilots during battle and training.
Observe
The first step is to observe the situation to build the most accurate and comprehensive picture possible. The goal is to take in the whole of the circumstances and environment. It's not enough to observe and collect information ... you must process the data and create useful meaning.
It's the same with data collection for an AI system. Ingesting or collecting data isn't enough. You have to be able to apply the data for it to become useful.
Orient
The second step is less intuitive but very important. When you orient yourself, it becomes easier to recognize strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to identify how changing the dimensionality or perspective alters the outcome.
This step reconnects you with reality in the context of your cognitive biases, recent decisions, and more. For example, have you received new information since starting?
I think of this as carrying a map and pulling out a compass while exploring new lands. Sometimes, you need to remember where you started, and sometimes, you need to make sure you're going where you think you are.
Decide
The last two steps provide the foundation for taking action.
When there are multiple decisions in front of you, observing and orienting help you choose wisely.
In business and with AI, you can go through these loops multiple times.
Act
Finally, remember that the best-made plans mean nothing if you don't act on them.
Once you've taken action, you can reobserve, reorient, and keep moving forward.
Conclusion
Like most good mental models, The OODA loop works in many situations and industries.
Speed is often a crucial competitive advantage. For example, knowing (and taking decisive action) while others are still guessing (and taking tentative action) is something I call time arbitrage.
Said another way, you make progress faster by walking in the right direction than by running in the wrong direction.
These processes (and technology) also help us grow more comfortable with uncertainty and uncomfortableness. Markets are only getting more volatile. Uncertainty is increasing. But, when you have the ability to adapt and respond, you can survive and thrive in any climate.
Posted at 09:03 PM in Business, Current Affairs, Games, Healthy Lifestyle, Ideas, Market Commentary, Personal Development, Science, Trading, Trading Tools | Permalink | Comments (0)
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