El Faro: Weeknotes #40
I came across the El Faro problem this week in Brian Arthur’s wonderful Placing Bets in an Uncertain World. Given the topic of last week’s Weeknote, this felt apposite. One of my points was about how it feels like strategy when practiced within advertising and communications can often pay very little attention to the actions of outside agents. Arthur’s piece is interesting because it positions the decisions of business leaders and the bets they are making on the future not just as the product of their own will, but as a part of complex system of actors and decision makers. Every actor in the system is influencing the other parties involved, just as the other parties are influencing them.
It was good timing - because it also chimed with the themes contained in Noah Briar’s excellent talk this week at BRXND, entitled Transformers are Eating the World.
A remarkably straight forward, moderate view of all things AI.
A number of things stood out. His ‘guiding principles’ (especially, Its Early),
The observation about maturity of the technology and where companies are claiming (or aiming) to be at versus the reality.
The nature of friction and super glue. This one in particular got me nodding vigorously. Workflows, and the tools we use to manage them, need to be designed for ‘garbage cans’ as he says. The reality that everything is big and messy and disorganised. Not neat and clean and tidy.
For anyone working in any business where AI is a growing factor (most then) I think this is a good watch.
Reading, Watching, Doing etc
A difficult week for a number of reasons. One not to dwell on.
Finished The Contrarian or rather, I put it down for the last time.
A couple of new projects beginning at work, just in time for half term. A couple of others concluding.
Process of keeping a diary in parallel with new coaching programme has been helpful. Finding the daily note taking useful in terms of spotting patterns of behaviour and emotional response. It’s easier to manage my reactions as a result. Not unlike the process of week notes really and how it encourages through lines to emerge between stimulus.
Present a v0.1 of new talk No One Knows Anything to a group of Guinea Pigs. If anyone would like to see it, please let me know.
