Hypercommunication

Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and I discuss his new book Guardrails: Guiding Human Decisions in the Age of AI (co-written with Urs Gasser, who I also had the pleasure of meeting at his book talk at NYU). In Guardrails, the authors suggest that in the age of AI, a focus on data is mistaken, or at least dangerously incomplete. Because AI's real promise isn't better access to insights; it is improved decisions. The more we realize humans' cognitive flaws and experience the power of data-driven machine learning, the more we are tempted to delegate decision agency to the machine.

What we need to focus on is no longer network governance, nor data governance, it's decision governance. And for this focus, we are conceptually ill prepared. To jump-start the discussion, Guardrails puts forward four design principles for decision governance and suggest that the real innovation we need to make it happen is less technical than social.

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Viktor Mayer-Schönberger is Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at the Oxford Internet Institute / Oxford University. He is also a faculty affiliate of the Belfer Center of Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. In addition to "Guardrails: Guiding Human Decisions in the Age of AI", Mayer-Schönberger has published nine books (including “Framers”, international bestseller "Big Data" and the awards-winning “Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age” with Princeton University Press) and is the author of over a hundred articles and book chapters on the information economy.

After successes in the International Physics Olympics and the Austrian Young Programmers Contest, Mayer-Schönberger studied in Salzburg, Harvard and at the London School of Economics. In 1986 he founded Ikarus Software, a company focusing on data security and developed the Virus Utilities, which became the best-selling Austrian software product. He was voted Top-5 Software Entrepreneur in Austria in 1991 and Person of the Year for the State of Salzburg in 2000. 

He is a frequent public speaker, and sought expert for print and broadcast media worldwide. He and his work have been featured in (among others) New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Economist, Nature, Science, NPR, BBC, The Guardian, Le Monde, and WIRED. He is also on the boards of foundations, think tanks and organizations focused on studying the information economy, and advises governments, businesses and NGOs on new economy and information society issues. 

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2x #1 management thinker in the world (per Thinkers50) and Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson and I speak about her new book Right Kind of Wrong, centered around the science of failing well. We uncover the secrets behind intelligent failures, social media's impact on our views of success, and how we can befriend failure (specifically referencing entrepreneurship, athletics, parenthood, and more).

Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, a chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises that contribute to the betterment of society. 

Amy has been recognized by the biannual Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers since 2011, and most recently was ranked #1 management thinker in the world in 2021 and 2023.  

Amy’s latest book, Right Kind of Wrong, builds on her prior work on psychological safety and teaming to provide a framework for thinking about, discussing, and practicing the science of failing well. 

The book is due to be translated into 24 additional languages, and in December 2023, was the first mainstream management book ever to win the Financial Times and Schroders Best Business Book of the Year award.

More about Amy

Right Kind of Wrong

In this episode, I discuss practical sociotechnical approaches to enterprise artificial intelligence adoption (especially for small and medium sized businesses) with Helsinki-based Dr. Anna Lahtinen.

Curiously, artificial intelligence could lead us toward a more human everyday—Anna outlines how we may approach this.

We also discuss:

Dr. Anna Lahtinen, DBA is a Senior Researcher at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland. Anna specializes in the transformation of work life from the perspectives of the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), evolution of psychological contract, gender roles and women careers. 

Anna has over 20 years of industry, entrepreneurial, startup and academic experience in Finland, across Europe and globally. Anna is an internationally published scholar and a Recipient of “Academic Paper Most Relevant to Entrepreneurs Award” presented by United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. 

In the research and development projects led by Anna, over 150 companies and organizations have been supported in the past three years to explore AI opportunities and develop AI solutions tailored to their business needs.

Anna and I first met at WORK2023, a future of work conference in Turku, Finland this summer. At the conference, Anna presented alongside Martti Asikainen and Eija Kärnä in the digitalisiation and robotics in working life track, "AI and Robotics in Knowledge Work: Towards Sustainable Value Co-Creation".

My presentations at WORK2023: "Everyday Conversation: The Effect of Asynchronous Communication and Hypercommunication on Daily Interaction and Sociotechnical Systems"; "Joint Optimization of Social and Technical Systems to Effect Organizational Change"; "A Sociotechnical Approach to Digital Communication Dysfunction Avoidance in Remote and Hybrid Work Settings".

In this episode, I discuss my research on the immediacy-driven and self-referential nature of digital communication—which short-circuts attention spans, desire, and anticipation.

I also reference Max Fisher's "The Chaos Machine" and Schmargendorf, Germany; more specifically, German researchers who proved a link between Facebook use and violence.

Additionally, I speak about French sociologist Jean Baudrillard's "hypercommunication" (excess inbound or outbound communication, often precipitated by technology) and South Korean/German philosopher Byung-Chul Han's notion of "pornographic communication" (communication that reveals everything, eliminating mystery and depth) and what we can do to avoid both.

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In this "Progression to Analog" episode, we dive into the heart of love and technology with London-based journalist Ria Wolstenholme. We unwrap the digital dating dilemma, reminisce over analog allure, and share secrets from our digital detox diaries—focusing on how to balance our screen-saturated lives with the craving for genuine human touch. Join us for an intimate journey from swiping screens to sealing letters, all while navigating the tightrope of today's tech-tangled relationships. This episode is perfect for those who cherish depth, authenticity, and a touch of old-school romance in the digital age.

Ria Wolstenholme is a freelance journalist and editor, writing for the likes of BBC Storyworks, GLAMOUR UK and Mashable with a background in news and broadcasting journalism as well as public relations. She grew up in Jersey, Channel Islands and is now living in London and building her portfolio as a writer.

Follow PROGRESSION TO ANALOG on Instagram: ⁠@progression2analog⁠

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Combining my research from the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Forum (Munich, September 2023) with actionable insights and 'PROGRESSION TO ANALOG'.

I aim for you to emerge from 'Progression to Analog' not only with practical strategies for a more human-centered and technologically balanced personal and professional life, but also with a nuanced comprehension of the underlying structures shaping the broader aspects of technological modernity.

My name is Caitlin Begg and I’m the founder of Authentic Social and sociological researcher. I wrote my 2016 Harvard sociology thesis on technology’s effect on relationships, and since 2022 I’ve been conducting independent research on technology’s effect on conversation, sociotechnical systems, and ethical AI - essentially, how technology shapes the way we speak to each other, form relationships, build organizations, and how we can take a more proactive approach to constructing everyday life amidst technological modernity. I’ve presented my research at conferences across the US and Europe, and my work is grounded in European sociology and philosophy. On the PROGRESSION TO ANALOG podcast, I’ll be speaking with academics and practitioners across Europe about ways to explore a more human everyday. Episodes will come in two formats - first, a more academic and philosophical conversation with experts, followed by a simplified, practical, shortened version. My hope is that these podcasts will help you to create an everyday life, both personal and professional, with a more balanced approach to technology. The transformation of everyday life toward a more human daily existence filled with unmediated experiences begins with a PROGRESSION TO ANALOG.