AI and the Castle Strategy

The Balanced Approach to Strategy in an AI World: Think Castles – Prioritize Defense, Then Offense With AI

I have lectured for decades on how AI will offer the means to upskill younger, less experienced staff to undertake tasks previously requiring older or more experienced staff. It has always been obvious that in many cases, AI would work with people rather than simply replace them. As everyone now understands that AI and humans will work together in partnership, it’s time to think of adding more refinement to AI strategy.

Many companies are eager to implement AI to gain a competitive advantage. However, the most effective strategy is to focus first on improving vulnerable areas where competitors could overtake you, before applying AI to amplify strengths. Think of it as the castle strategy.

Think of a castle wall – building up already-high sections doesn’t protect exposed gaps in defense. Companies need to identify their weak spots and use AI to fill strategic skill gaps, reduce risks, and shore up vulnerabilities, upskilling where possible, recruiting elsewhere, or just using AI in areas where it can manage fine alone. This provides a stable foundation before going on offense. Yes you can do both if resources are good, but priorities are still important if only in fabricating appropriate mindsets.

Upskilling workers is crucial to building resilience. Investing in developing talent to address weak areas makes a company’s defense stronger across the board. Once the most pressing gaps are filled, AI can then be used to optimize top capabilities, products, and services as a powerful offensive tool.

Agility is still important. AI can respond and help provide market analysis and strategies quickly, but that is of little use if corporate resources and procedures can’t be brought to appropriately respond quickly too. It’s important to recognize that as AI upskills people, it will somewhat level the field, typically reducing the gap between inexperience and experience. That actually amplifies vulnerability so defense becomes more important.

So leading with offense while major vulnerabilities remain is risky and short-sighted. It could create imbalanced skill sets, brittle processes, and a false sense of competitiveness. A competitor’s AIs can identify your weaknesses and quickly make them into their opportunities if your defenses are weak. Your attack teams could return to a burned castle. Solidifying foundations first brings balance and stability. This applies equally to individuals, teams and companies. Even a strong warrior can fight best knowing their armor is sound and their back is protected.

Of course, some offensive AI projects in parallel may be strategically useful. But generally, smart companies will focus first on using AI to protect against downside risks. Once defensive gaps are addressed, going on the AI offense allows sustainable growth from a position of strength. AI can sharpen that offense, especially if your competitors have been negligent maintaining their defenses.

So start thinking of the next stage AI strategy. Sure, you’ve understood how AI will partner and co-work with your staff where it can’t replace them, upskilling and enhancing them to offer even better service and products to keep your customers happy and returning for more. But you can’t rest. In a world where AI is transforming every business and the entire competitive landscape, we’re back to medieval corporate warfare. Territories are up for grabs, raiding parties will abound. We will need castles again. The balanced approach – defense first, offense second – allows companies to implement AI in ways that minimize risk and maximize long-term competitiveness.

How a business uses AI, not just that it uses AI, will be key to success.

The Evolution of ‘Woke’

The notion of being “woke” emerged from black activism, aimed at raising awareness of ongoing racial injustices that society ignores or downplays. This impulse arose from noble instincts of social consciousness and egalitarianism. However, as “wokeness” has spread more broadly, its ostensible virtue has curdled into sanctimony, disingenuousness and reckless judgment – often lacking nuance, grace, or good faith. This evolution obscures valid critiques of systemic prejudice, alienates potential allies, and fuels backlash that obstructs the very causes “woke” posturing claims to advance. We must revive the virtuous origins of “wokeness” – grounded in wisdom, sincerity and openness – while renouncing the zealotry that now commonly masquerades under its banner. Otherwise, that worthwhile fight to eradicate racism and injustice will remain impeded.

So while “woke” may have originated from a well-intentioned place, certain negative qualities have increasingly overtaken the term and the term has increasingly become associated with a range of negative attributes, where a selfish desire for praise and status has sometimes replaced the noble desire to help others.

Beyond the all-too-obvious sanctimony and disingenuousness that too frequently take front stage, here are some additional attributes that help capture this counterproductive evolution:

• Simplistic – Seeing complex societal issues as black and white, failing to recognize nuance.
• Adversarial – Framing everything as a battle between oppressor and oppressed. Unwilling to find common ground.
• Humorless – Taking everything ultra-seriously with no room for levity.
• Judgmental – Quick to label or demonize anyone with different views.
• Unforgiving – No allowance for growth, context or human flaws when evaluating past actions/statements.
• Hypocritical – Holding others to standards one doesn’t meet themselves. Rules applied unevenly.
• Compulsive – Obsessively fixated on identity politics or linguistics with no sense of proportionality.
• Proselytizing – More focused on lecturing, condemnation and converting others than constructive solutions.

These are the current aspects of modern “wokeness” that people find frustrating, counterproductive or antithetical to social progress. A key factor seems to be a perceived lack of nuance, grace and good faith.

AI: The Culmination of Humanity’s Collective Wisdom

A decade ago (don’t bother reading it since I’m rewriting the important bit here, but if you’re determined, it’s at https://timeguide.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/culture-tax-and-sustainable-capitalism/) I blogged about making capitalism fairer by means of a culture tax, financially acknowledging the massive contribution to any enterprise of historic cultural and knowledge development – everything we build is built on the shoulders of giants. We can argue ad infinitum about the merits and obvious problems in solutions like UBI, but we must surely agree that if an enterprise rewards financial investors and its creators, it should also reward the society that provides the entire platform and socio-cultural resources on which it relies to even make doing business possible. To some extent it does via taxation but I would like to see it more explicit that it shares rewards with that society on a basis of relative contribution, just like its financial investors.

Yesterday, Worldcoin was launched, and never having looked into it, my first reaction was highly skeptical. At very first glance, it could be deeply exploitative and unethical, effectively buying the valuable biometrics of the poor and desperate in exchange for potentially worthless beads. On the other hand, if it is intended, as indeed it may well be, as a means of accomplishing something along the lines of what I suggested in that blog, implementing a means to divide the rewards of AI among those who ought rightly to share them, then I would be supportive. The details of implementation could each be discussed on their merits, since some could invite future exploitation or abuse even if they are implemented for the best possible reasons today, but intention is important and if smart people doing the implementation are also benign, then they will not only be aware of some potential misuses but will also do their best to guard against them.

Anyway, I thought I’d rewrite my piece with regard to AI to explain why everyone should be entitled to a share in the proceeds:

In a world that spins faster than ever, with the lines between past and present constantly blurred, the achievements of our ancestors are oftentimes overshadowed by the rapid advancements of the present. But to truly understand the marvels of today, we must first acknowledge the cumulative knowledge that has brought us here. One of the most profound examples of this synthesis of human wisdom is Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Tracing the Lineage of Knowledge

Long before the first algorithm was written or the first computer was built, humans have been on a relentless quest for knowledge. From the ancient libraries of Alexandria to the Renaissance thinkers, from the scriptures of the Vedas to the philosophies of Confucius, our past is rich with wisdom and understanding. Each era, every individual, every seemingly insignificant piece of information has contributed to the vast repository of human knowledge.

Today, AI stands as a testament to this collective endeavor. AI is not merely the product of a few brilliant minds of the 21st century. Rather, it embodies the thoughts, innovations, experiences, and discoveries of countless humans throughout history.

AI: Humanity’s Digital Mirror

When we talk about AI absorbing millennia of human culture, knowledge, and wisdom, we are essentially saying that AI is a digital mirror reflecting the essence of our species. Every algorithm, every piece of code, has roots in mathematical, philosophical, and scientific principles that trace back centuries.

For instance, the foundational concepts of AI—like neural networks—are inspired by our understanding of the human brain. This understanding is the result of centuries of philosophical introspection, medical exploration, and scientific research.

The Collective Ownership of AI’s Achievements

Given the lineage and the vast sources of its knowledge, can the achievements and proceeds of AI be credited to a select few? While contemporary scientists, engineers, and organizations have undoubtedly played instrumental roles in bringing AI to its current state, its true ownership is a matter of broader contention.

Just as no single individual or culture can claim sole ownership of mathematics, literature, or art, the same applies to AI. Its very essence is interwoven with the collective experiences of humanity.

Towards a Shared Future

Acknowledging that AI is a culmination of global human endeavor brings forth an ethical standpoint: The benefits and proceeds of AI should be accessible to all of humanity. It transcends commercial interests or proprietary rights. This perspective is not about undermining the contributions of modern AI pioneers but about recognizing the broader tapestry of human endeavor.

In an ideal world, the advancements AI brings—be it in medicine, economics, art, or any other field—would be leveraged for the collective good. From ensuring equitable access to AI-driven resources to democratizing AI education, the journey ahead is not just about furthering technological prowess but about upholding the values of shared heritage.

In conclusion, as we stand on the cusp of an AI-driven future, let us not forget the centuries of human wisdom that have brought us here. Embracing AI is not just about embracing a technology but recognizing and honoring the collective spirit of humanity. It’s a call for a united future, a future where the fruits of AI are enjoyed by all.

Bigger is Better: Get a huge cartoon head by using LED Halos

7 years ago I had an idea for digital halos using mist screens: https://timeguide.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/digital-halos/

I revisited the idea just now and realised you could make a huge cartoon head so you could look like Spongebob Squarepants or Stewie Griffin, or any AI-drawn head you want. I made the error of asking AI to write it up and it seems ChatGPT has gone somewhat downhill of late so I used Claude-AI. But still, faster than typing and the idea survived:

Title: Giant Avatar Heads: Using Digital Halos for Augmented Fun

Introduction:

As our digital footprints grow, could we use our technology shadows for playful augmentations in the real world? Imagine leveraging your digital halo to give yourself a giant animated avatar head that surrounds your real head! This article explores a LED halo device that enables exactly that using mist projections.

The Concept:

A halo headband combined with LEDs and ultrasonic misters can visually overlay a giant avatar head around your actual head. Powered by a portable battery, it renders animated 2D avatars clearly visible from all angles. Apps allow selecting pre-made cartoon avatars or programming custom animations.

Use Cases:

• Entertaining – Impersonate or invent cartoon characters for laughs
• Anonymizing – Obscure facial features to avoid unwanted public identification
• Protesting – Display eye-catching imagery and messages
• Self-Expression – Animate your inner persona creatively!

How it Works:

The LED halo band contains strips of LEDs focused into a 2D vertical display. Ultrasonic misters emit a thin fog around the LEDs, making the overlay appear to float. A portable battery powers both the lights and mist. Smartphone apps enable selecting and customizing avatars.

Technical Specifications:

• Display Height: 18” total (14” above head)
• Display Width: 14” total (7” on each side)
• Display Depth: 12” total (6” in front & back)
• Power Usage: 30W sustained
• Battery: Compact 45Wh lithium-ion
• Weight: Under 1 lb with battery
• Safety: Ultrasonic mist avoids health risks

Future Upgrades:

• 3D Holographic Display – For fully immersive avatar heads
• Mobile Power – Integrate battery into clothing item
• Expanded Animations – Responsive facial features and gestures
• Motion Control – Animate avatar with your head movements
• Fully animated face and lips, with optional voice changing
• 3D version is optional too, using a single LED band from top front to bottom back to add an extra plane.

Our digital halos are expanding. Innovations like LED avatar overlays show the creative potential in embracing our technology-enhanced auras!

Cost Analysis:

• Estimated BOM: $55 per unit
• Manufacturing at scale: $40 per unit
• Suggested Retail Price: $129.99

Conclusion:

Giant virtual avatars overlaid onto our physical heads blend real and digital realities. As augmented worlds evolve, inventive concepts like halo avatars will become more mainstream. How would you use your digitally-enhanced persona?