This year, global investment in AI is projected to exceed $1 trillion, according to Goldman Sachs.

That’s a lot. So much that when I asked ChatGPT to help me make sense of how much this actually is, it corrected me, saying that I must have been mistaken, since this amount would be more than 15 times the United States’ annual GDP.

But no, this really is the amount estimated by research from Goldman Sachs.

We live in an intelligence monoculture

Currently we can speak of intelligence monoculture; the assumption that AI is the only intelligence worth investing in. However, we shouldn’t forget that AI is just one of the many forms of intelligence. And that ideally, for any business, organisation or institution to flourish, at least two other forms of intelligence are needed too. 

MIT researcher Otto Scharmer, known from Theory-U, advises for decades leaders from across the globe, from the United Nations and governments to large companies, and describes a growing sentiment among them. He refers to this sentiment as planetary overwhelm: The challenges we face are becoming so interconnected, complex, and fast-moving that we’re increasingly struggling to make sense of what’s happening around us, let alone figure out how to respond.

For the first time in human history, the challenges we face demand a planetary response.

Three forms of intelligence – and why we need them all

Scharmer distinguishes three forms of intelligence that complement one another.

AI – Artificial intelligence (pattern-recognizing and meshing)
AI in the form of large language models (LLMs) is a pattern-prediction machine, matching and meshing existing human knowledge at a superhuman speed. Trained on existing data, AI deals extraordinarily well with dynamic complexity. It’s powerful — but always backwards-looking (even when it pretends it’s looking forward).

OI — Organic Intelligence (empathic, relational, multi-perspectival)
OI is the intelligence of structurally coupled living systems in ecologies of relationships. This is where empathic listening lives. OI handles social complexity, the texture of multiple worldviews, cultures, and interests.

SI — Source Intelligence (sensing not what is, but what wants to emerge: pattern-originating)
SI is our collective ability to sense emerging possibilities and create something new, even when the problem and solution aren’t yet clear. Examples include entrepreneurs and leaders who sense and create a future that does not yet exist.

We’re currently overfocusing and investing in one type of intelligence, AI, while the conditions that help our organic and collective intelligence flourish are increasingly under pressure. We spend less time together physically. More of our communication happens through screens. And we seem to find it increasingly difficult to engage with people who think differently from us.

“The real risk is not that machines become more like humans. It is that we become more like machines.” – MIT Researcher Otto Scharmer

A world in which thinking becomes synonymous with information processing. Learning becomes acquiring knowledge. Creativity becomes recombining existing ideas. And decision-making becomes an exercise in optimisation.

Not desirable.

Because not everything that matters can be calculated.

Trust, for example. Or the ability to genuinely listen to another person. To sense what’s happening within a team. To read a room. To recognise when something isn’t being said. Or to collectively develop an idea that nobody could have imagined beforehand.

These capabilities become especially important when we’re dealing with complex challenges that don’t have clear answers; hello planetary overwhelm. 

Why should we invest in our social soil?

Instead of feeding this intelligence monoculture, we should invest in our social soil as well.

As Scharmer states: “Just as plants depend on healthy soil to grow, organisations and societies depend on healthy social soil. The relationships, awareness and shared sensemaking from which all visible social systems grow.”

When this soil is healthy, people are better able to collaborate, navigate differences and respond to new challenges.

New ideas can emerge. Trust makes cooperation easier. And people are more willing to explore possibilities beyond their own perspectives.

But when the social soil becomes depleted, the opposite happens. Trust erodes. Communication breaks down. Different perspectives become threats rather than opportunities to learn. And our collective ability to act begins to weaken.

What opportunity do businesses have?

If we continue investing primarily in artificial intelligence while neglecting other forms of intelligence, we risk losing something essential.

The inner place from which we operate: the source of attention, intention, and creativity that no machine can replicate.

And these are precisely the capabilities we need to navigate the increasingly complex and unpredictable challenges of our time.

The good news? Businesses have an opportunity to nurture these capabilities. But doing so requires investing in our social soil with the same intention and seriousness as we invest in technology. Here are three thoughts to start with:

Keep investing in real human connection.

Informal conversations, shared experiences and unexpected encounters help build the trust and empathy needed to understand one another and see the world through different perspectives.

Create space for deep thinking and reflection.

In a world obsessed with speed and efficiency, make time to question assumptions, think independently and exercise human judgment. Not every challenge can be solved by analysing more data or finding faster answers.

Make room for collective creativity.

Bring different perspectives together, not just to solve existing problems, but to explore new possibilities. Create environments where people can challenge the status quo, experiment and imagine futures that don’t yet exist.

Because the greatest risk isn’t that machines become more intelligent. It’s that, in the process, we neglect the very human capacities we need to shape our future.

We highly recommend reading the article of Otto Scharmer on MIT Sloan Review here: Leadership’s Blind Spot in the Age of AI