Diversity: The Key to Collective Intelligence in the Age of AI

In his TEDx talk, Cassandra Labs co-founder Dr. Lorenzo Barberis explores how collective intelligence—the emergent wisdom from diverse perspectives—can help us solve some of the hardest problems in science, society, and AI.

Opening with the famous "invisible gorilla" experiment, Lorenzo makes a compelling case that our individual perception is always limited—and that only by aggregating different viewpoints can we see the full picture. From prediction markets to interdisciplinary breakthroughs, he illustrates how collective intelligence outperforms even experts across fields like economics, politics, and biomedicine.

He also challenges conventional thinking about diversity, arguing that the most valuable kind is cognitive, not just demographic. Neurodivergent individuals and unconventional thinkers—like autistic investors or transgender entrepreneurs—bring uniquely valuable insights that traditional systems often overlook.

Finally, Lorenzo bridges the human and the artificial, showing how hybrid intelligence—humans and AI collaborating—can outperform either alone. His message: to unlock the full potential of society, we must embrace both neurodiversity and the strategic integration of AI, not just as tools, but as partners in thinking.