Human Swarms, a real-time method for collective intelligence

Although substantial research has explored the emergence of collective intelligence in real-time human-based collaborative systems, much of this work has focused on rigid scenarios such as the Prisoner’s Dilemma (PD). (Pinheiro et al., 2012; Santos et al., 2012). While such work is of great research value, there’s a growing need for a flexible real-world platform that fosters collective intelligence in authentic decision-making situations. This paper introduces a new platform called UNUM that allows groups of online users to collectively answer questions, make decisions, and resolve dilemmas by working together in unified dynamic systems. Modeled after biological swarms, the UNUM platform enables online groups to work in real-time synchrony, collaboratively exploring a decision-space and converging on preferred solutions in a matter of seconds. We call the process “social swarming” and early real-world testing suggests it has great potential for harnessing collective intelligence.