Issue #4: AI and neurodiversity

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In a Nutshell

Why a neurodivergent team will be a golden asset in the AI workplace

with cognitive scientist, Maureen Dunne

1. Beyond linear // In the absence of some hypothetical “awake” AGI (artificial general intelligence), AI systems will remain inescapably chained to linear reasoning — and neurodiversity inclusion will become an essential company asset.
2. More than curation // All AI systems are innovative forms of “social collaboration” — large language models curate and produce mashups of existing human expression whereas neurodivergence correlates with atypical cognitive strategies.
3. Creative problem-solving // As we navigate the emergence of nonhuman intelligence, organizations that commit to the inclusion of “different kinds of minds” may achieve and sustain a crucial differentiating edge.

Read the full article here.

Fast Learnings

• 43% vs 16.5% // The difference in the “improvement rate” of performance by lower-skilled workers (43%) compared to their higher-skilled colleagues (16.5%) when both were assisted by AI — according to the AI Index Report.
• 23% vs 5% // The disparity between executives (23%) and entry-level employees (5%) when asked whether creativity is the most important soft skill for new recruits — revealing a potentially ripe area for newbie upskilling.
• 76.4 million // The number of US workers expected to participate in flexible self-employment during 2024, which represents an uptick of 3.1 million from 2023 and could be a reliable indication that “gig economy 2.0” has arrived. 
• $30 million // The savings made by data storage company Seagate when it pivoted away from external contractors and instead relied on its internal employee marketplace, driven by team demand for new opportunities.

Top stories you may have missed from the past week

The 4 biggest ideas in philosophy, with legend Daniel Dennett

Philosopher Daniel Dennett on why thinking critically about critical thinking is essential to the way we live and work. Watch here.

Combat “quiet quitting” with an experience mindset

Executive advisor Tiffani Bova wants leaders to value their employees as much as their customers. Read here.

How Quine’s rabbit can teach you to be a better communicator

When is a rabbit not a rabbit? When it's a thought experiment designed to clarify language and concepts. Read here.

Why the “Eisenhower matrix” is a fantastic productivity hack

Harvard career advisor Gorick Ng explains the time-saving system that can help us reclaim our work-life sanity. Read here.

What we’re reading and listening to

“The Reitoff principle is the idea that we should grant ourselves permission to write off a day and intentionally step away from achieving anything.”

Book: Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal

“We try so hard to optimize for every additional dollar, but give no thought to every additional day. It’s always: I need a pay raise — it’s never: I need a time raise.”

Podcast: The Opportunity Cost of Everything by Founder’s Journal

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