We like to think of ourselves as independent thinkers. We aren't. We are nodes in a network, and right now, that network is designed to make us redundant. It time for us to decorrelate!

Research Roundup

Decorrelate!

We often blame "the algorithm" for polarization, assuming that some dark engineer in Silicon Valley is turning a dial to make us hate each other. What if the algorithm is inside us?.

A computational model of society that accounts for homophily (we like people like us) and social balance (we want our friends to like each other) produces a "phase transition": once social connectivity crosses a critical threshold, society doesn't just get a little more argued—”an explosive transition toward strong polarization must occur”.

Think of it like water freezing into ice. It’s a structural inevitability of the physics of the system. And in our social system, “the number of close social connections increased…at least by a factor of two” over the last 20 years.

Even beyond our increase in social connectivity, the impact of "synchronized influencers" has also increased. The model shows that even a small fraction of them act as a catalyst, lowering the threshold for explosive polarization.

We have connected ourselves to death. To save our collective intelligence (and sanity), we don't need better arguments; we need to actively decorrelate. Prune your network of influencers and comfortable strangers that are just telling you what you want to hear. Build some thoughtful tension and productive friction into your daily feed.

We Choose Bad

There is a comforting lie we tell ourselves: "I would read high-quality, nuanced news, but the platform only shows me garbage."

A massive new study analyzing over 10 million posts across 7 different platforms (Twitter/X, BlueSky, TruthSocial, Gab, Mastodon, etc.) destroys this alibi. While political leaning varies by platform, one thing is universally consistent: “lower-quality news posts received higher average engagement”.

This pattern holds true “even in the absence of ranking algorithms” (like on Mastodon). Even when we control for who is posting, we simply prefer the trash. We are more likely to share, like, and comment on lower-quality information than high-quality reporting. [1]

The problem isn't the algorithm alone. It’s that the algorithm is giving our brain what it wants but not what it needs. Our brains are cheap dates for sensationalism, and the algorithm is the guy buying us shots until we black out.

[1] I recently shared research that algorithms that actively promote high-quality content where the only social network “fix” that actually reduces polarization. If you preferred platform won’t do this for you, you must do it for yourself.

New Ideas Don't Come From The Same Old Places

If you want to know what drives innovation, look at the name on the patent…and the names of their neighbors.

A fascinating historical analysis of the “U.S. (1850-1940)” used surname diversity as a proxy for cultural diversity. The results are genuinely staggering: “a one standard deviation increase in a county’s cultural diversity raised patenting rates by 107% and individual inventor productivity by 20%”.

Why? The evidence indicates two factors. Regional cultural diversity both

1. expands “the range of ideas, skills, and perspectives available for recombination" and
2. fosters “the diverse social interactions that facilitate idea sharing”.

The cultural enrichment that comes from cultural diversity literally makes us smarter and more creative.

But as a mad scientist, I have to ask the darker question: When does this fail? History is full of diverse places that didn't innovate but fractured. The difference is likely the "integration mechanism"—does the culture encourage the mixing of these diverse ideas or merely their proximity? Innovation doesn't come from sitting next to someone different; it comes from the productive friction of trying to solve a problem with them.

Media Mentions

I'll be in NYC on Dec 9th to celebrate the annual Ripple of Hope Awards, honoring those who made sacrifices for human rights.

Who's being honored, you ask? How about Stephen Colbert and Magic Johnson! But it's not just them, follow the link and scroll down through the rather amazing group of "special guests".

I'm told a private book reading by a certain Robot-Proof author is up for auction at the gala (if you can't afford the Villa on Lake Como).

Buy a damn ticket!

SciFi, Fantasy, & Me: Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover

How did this slip through my net for nearly 30 years? [2]

Heroes Die is a genre-bending punch to the gut that I devoured this week. On the surface, it’s a grimdark precursor: brutal, cynical, and soaked in blood. But beneath the violence lies a fascinating exploration of two parallel dystopias defined by profound inequality and the commodification of human suffering.

The premise is pure mad science brilliance: In a rigid, caste-stratified future Earth, the ultimate entertainment is "The Crawl"—livestreamed VR adventures where "Actors" are sent to a parallel fantasy dimension (Overworld) to kill, conquer, and die for the amusement of the bored masses back home.

This book is not for everyone. It is violent and unrelenting. But it is far more than an indulgence in gore. Its critique is often a full scale satire of the modern world…from a book that came out decades ago.

How could I not enjoy it: a sci-fi thriller, a fantasy epic, and a noir love story all at once. If you have the stomach for it, it’s an engaging piece of hybrid storytelling.

[2] I know why: because the cover and title make it sound like a men's adventure novel or grimdark LitRPG fanfic.

Stage & Screen

• January 20, Davos: After all these years, they are finally allowing me to speak in Davos at the World Economic Forum.
• February 2, NYC: My latest research on neurotechnologies for cognitive health and more.
• February 10, Nashville: Shockingly, I haven't visited Nashville since I was a little kid. On this trip I'll be looking at why Tennessee and North Carolina appear to have more entrepreneurship than all over their neighboring states combined.
• March 8, LA: I'll be at UCLA talking about AI and teen mental health at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.
• March 14, Online: The book launch! Robot-Proof: When Machines Have All The Answers, Build Better People is will finally be inflicted on the world.
• Boston, NYC, DC, & Everywhere Along the Acela line: We're putting together a book tour for you! Stay tuned...
• Late March/Early April, UK & EU: Book Tour!
  • March 30, Amsterdam: What else: AI and human I--together is better!
  • plus London, Zurich, Basel, Copenhagen, and many other cities in development.
• April, Napa: The Neuroscience of Storytelling
• June, Stockholm: The Smartest Thing on the Planet: Hybrid Collective Intelligence
• October, Toronto: The Future of Work...in the Future

Vivienne L'Ecuyer Ming