Building Global Societies on Collective Intelligence: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Digital disruptions caused by use of technologies like social media arguably present a formidable challenge to democratic values and in-turn to Collective Intelligence (CI or “wisdom-of-crowd”), which the former is an emblem of. These challenges such as misinformation, partisan bias, polarization, and rising mistrust in institutions (incl. mainstream media), present a new threat to collectives both online and offline—amplifying the risk of turning “wise” crowds “mad”, and rendering their actions counterproductive. Considering the increasingly important role crowds play in solving today’s socio-political, technological, and economical issues, and in shaping our future, we identify time-critical challenges and potential solutions that require urgent attention, if future CI systems are to sustain their indispensable role as global deliberation instruments.

Keywords: Collective Intelligence, Citizen Science, Democracy, Digital Disruptions, Emerging Research, Information Systems