If you’ve ever wrestled with the challenge of sparking great ideas within your team, you’ll appreciate the wonders of swarm intelligence—a phenomenon where nature shows that many heads are better than one. By mimicking birds in flight or fish in a school, conversational swarm intelligence (CSI) combines advanced language models with collective human insight to fuel dynamic group brainstorming.
A recent study from Carnegie Mellon University and Unanimous AI put a CSI platform called Thinkscape under the spotlight. Using the alternative use task (AUT) to gauge creativity, the research found that participants genuinely enjoyed the more interactive, fluid environment. Over 80% felt more engaged and reported a stronger sense of ownership compared to standard chat‑based sessions.
Professor Ganesh Mani, who specialises in innovation practice, shared that CSI can serve as a robust generative AI tool, especially when it comes to tackling large-scale brainstorming challenges. Louis Rosenberg, Unanimous AI’s Chief Scientist, added that a more collaborative and inclusive approach not only sharpens decision‑making but also boosts commitment from everyone involved. Carnegie Mellon’s Christopher Dishop pointed out that, by harnessing CSI, organisations can mobilise large teams to crack complex tasks and spark innovative solutions.
