A discussion on collective intelligence and the threat of selfish knowledge generation.

In under a decade the way we as a society have come to interpret a collective has changed radically. The widespread proliferation of collective intelligence has not only brought on a renaissance for group-powered thought but also paved the way for a new age of digitally enabled knowledge generation.

The positive reception to this growth has been profound, with think tanks and other thought generation outfits seen across a truly wide span of industries, with more joining the ranks every day.

Of particular interest are the sectors whose means of innovation have been historically unmoving in this regard. They too have felt the driving force of the collective intelligence industry, helping them create sorely needed thought and discourse and then using that momentum to drive future advances.

This growth is unequivocally a good thing, as the ability to generate knowledge and share it with those who benefit most is something that should be championed by society whenever possible.

However, the collective intelligence industry has once again reached a crossroad and must be careful in the way it approaches the next step in its journey.

Because this next step will decide whether its potential continues to reach the many or the few.

It’s no secret that collective intelligence uptake has been largely relegated to industry and the global business sector, after all, they stand to gain the most from innovative thought and directive knowledge generation.

This in itself is a fantastic thing, as it shows that industries are willing and able to explore thought-based action rather than regimenting their operations to theory or practice with no grey area.

However, these industries cannot lose sight of the ulterior motive that has driven collective intelligence to the point it is today, altruism.

A strong word to use but one that holds merit when considering the ultimate goal of a collective, to drive progress.

Progress is inherently a positive force, and the knowledge created and shared by collective intelligence fits this mould for growth and prosperity on a societal…