Mass Intelligence era has dawned upon us.
In the past, when we made big decisions or sought advice, we always had the go-to “lead” or just simply “googled”. For instance, at the company level, we rely on boardroom experts ‘experience and advice, and within the family setup, we will seek that “household lead” to decide on money or lifestyle matters. With the rise of AI, this dynamic is now shifting.
Of course, that is not to say, everything will be replaced. We still need boardroom experts to guide the direction of the company, and we still need the experienced leaders to provide the oversight, or some would call it, checks and balances.
What is happening now is that we are in a better position to make better decisions with clearer insights and perspective. With AI, everyone can tap into knowledge, data, and insights instantly.
Mass intelligence in the AI age isn’t just about one person learning faster. It’s about businesses, families, and communities making smarter decisions together.
What Is Mass Intelligence?
Mass intelligence refers to the ability of people to access, learn, process, and act on knowledge collectively, and in the AI age, this ability is like turbocharged.
The question is what is it before the AI age?
Yes, not long ago, whenever we sought “quick insight,” we would just Google it. We were so super dependent on Google then. I remembered this humorous conversation a few years ago with a doctor who was looking after my mum’s treatment. I tried to understand the treatment plan by doing some homework on Google. And during the counseling session, the doctor noted my medical understanding and asked if I am medically trained. I just grinned and replied, No sir, I am Google-trained! 😆
Fast-forward to today, and I am sure that he would be more impressed now since I am now AI-trained! 😆
And just like that, AI makes insights sharper and faster. When this ability to access to insights and knowledge is being democratized, then this is what mass intelligence looks like in an AI age.
Why Mass Intelligence Matters Now
Mass intelligence is important to the masses now as it makes access to good enough intelligence readily available. It’s probably an upgrade to the “google-trained” intelligence of yesteryear. And just so you know, I am still googling!
(Of course, I am referring to the culture of googling, not the tech in Google! And I love Gemini!)
Several trends make mass intelligence more important than ever:
- Access to powerful AI is expanding: Once only experts had it, now many can access strong AI models, and also via our smartphones.
- Faster learning: It’s natural language to use AI to deliver just-in-time knowledge. This makes learning faster and easier. Of course, one has to learn how to prompt!
- Clearer decisions: AI can map pros and cons in minutes, putting all variables on table at once, and deriving the decision matrix instantly.
- Broader perspectives: AI brings together insights across industries and cultures.
- Democratization: Access to this power is no longer limited to CEOs or policymakers. Families, small businesses, and even hawkers can benefit.
So, coming back to the doctor counseling story, with faster insights will allow me to have a better understanding of my mum’s treatment plan. This can help to facilitate decisions and align with the doctor’s advice for the best treatment my mum needs.
Put simply, mass intelligence in the AI age levels the playing field, leading to better decisioning and understanding.
Mass Intelligence in Action
Mass intelligence is pretty much in action. For instance, to date, according to Sam Altman, shared OpenAI now has about 800 million users of ChatGPT weekly. That’s an insane number! And we haven’t talked about other platforms!
a) In Business
For companies, especially SMEs in Singapore and Malaysia, AI helps level the competition with the big boys.
For instance:
- Build compelling business proposals and pitch decks
- Create engaging social media marketing content
- Research prospect list and market segmentation efficiently
- Automate repetitive work to free staff for higher-value tasks.
- Analyze customer reviews to improve products quickly.
- Spot industry trends early without hiring expensive research firms.
This means mass intelligence in the AI age gives even smaller firms the kind of insights once reserved for big corporations.
b) In Families
Traditionally, financial or lifestyle decisions were led by parents. But with AI, families can explore options and planning together.
For example:
- Should we buy or rent a home?
- What education path fits our child best?
- Support effective financial planning
- Create an inclusive travel experience plan for the whole family
- Plan lifestyle decisions effectively
By simulating outcomes, families share responsibility, making decisions more confident and less stressful.
c) In Groups and Communities
Community groups and associations can also benefit.
For example:
- Plan recycling programme
- Plan outreach events or activities
- Compare costs
- Create outreach collaterals and scripts
- Develop group communication
Here, mass intelligence in the AI age strengthens collaboration.
The Upside and the Challenge
The upside is quite clear. It will deliver smarter innovation, faster learning, stronger families, and empowered communities.
But like any tech adoption, challenges do exist.
- Google mentality: With AI, the prompt is key. The output is as good as your input. And we should not use AI like how we use to googling. More effort is needed in prompt engineering.
- Misinformation risk: This is the biggest risk here. AI is only as good as the data it learns from. Critical thinking is very important to discern the right information. The culture of fact-checking needs to be embraced.
- Over-reliance: Human judgment and values must remain central.
- Data Privacy: As it uses natural language, sometimes we can be overzealous in using it. We need to recognize the important aspect of data privacy protection, and the importance of data not being shared in a free AI platform.
To make the most of mass intelligence in the AI age, balance is essential. AI should act as a sparring partner, not the sole decision-maker.
How to Embrace Mass Intelligence Wisely
It’s clear. We need to be part of this Mass Intelligence era. Otherwise, we risk being replaced by people who is embracing it. So how do we harness this shift?
- For individuals: Learn and improving prompt literacy, and asking better questions help lead to better answers.
- For businesses: Use AI strategically, to align it with the overall business strategy to drive for business improvement in productivity level and competitiveness.
- For families: Leverage AI for group discussions and shared decision-making.
- For communities: Share knowledge and insights openly, and use AI to help foster the inclusive spirit of community.
These steps ensure mass intelligence in the AI age strengthens, elevates human value rather than replacing them.
Final Thought – A Smarter Future Together
With powerful AI, intelligence is no longer concentrated in boardrooms, think tanks or top institutions. It is democratized and distributed. And you don’t need a manual to learn since it’s a natural language-enabled.
Of course, there will be a flood of opportunities and challenges that will show up since now billion of them is given access.
For me, as an optimist, I believe this will mean businesses can innovate, families can make better decisions, and communities can grow stronger.
Mass intelligence in the AI age won’t just make individuals smarter. It will reshape how we decide, learn, and thrive, together.
