AI “Swarms” Could Shape the Future of Digital Marketing

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In nature, when honeybees gather and form a swarm to look for a new nesting site, their efforts can find the best site over 80% of the time.(1) Likewise, people can pool their intellect on a subject, amplifying it using algorithms modeled after the swarms found in nature. “Human Swarming has been shown to enable groups to reach optimized decisions, prioritizations, and forecasts in significantly less time than traditional methods,” said Louis Rosenberg, PhD, CEO of Unanimous A.I., in the latest B2B If You Market podcast. “In other words, thinking together in swarms makes groups smarter and faster.” Dr. Rosenberg explored the impact of “hive minds” in A.I and its future in marketing in Episode 78 of the If You Market podcast “The Role of A.I. in Marketing, with Dr. Louis Rosenberg,” hosted by MountainTop Data’s CEO Sky Cassidy and JoTo PR Disruptors’ CEO Karla Jo Helms.

In 2016, Newsweek challenged Dr. Rosenberg’s team to amplify the intelligence of sports fans to predict the Kentucky Derby outcomes. Their Swarm A.I. model predicted a Superfecta—at the odds of 540:1—by connecting 20 horse racing enthusiasts with their digital platform and applying algorithms to their predictions of winners and precise places. “The result was a demonstration that people are smart and can get even smarter when thinking together as a swarm,” noted Dr. Rosenberg. “Now, Unanimous A.I. is focused on using the unique form of A.I. for marketing.”(2)

According to Dr. Rosenberg, real-time swarming can generate more accurate insights from human populations than traditional surveys and polls, especially when using limited group sizes from 20 to 50 people. For example, a recent study compared Artificial Swarm Intelligence to various methods of statistical polling and found that the group was able to converge on the optimal solution at significantly higher rates when swarming as compared to polling.(2) “Will swarming replace polling focus groups? While thinking together in swarms makes groups smarter and faster, there are a number of comparison points to consider,” Dr. Rosenberg noted.

Dr. Rosenberg’s Comparison of Swarms, Traditional Surveys, and Focus Groups:

“I’m intrigued by the applications of Swarm A.I. in marketing and wondered when marketing professionals would have some readily-accessible technology application where they could work with a chat bot that allows people connecting to the platform to participate,” Cassidy noted. “Dr. Rosenberg’s response that they have a subscription to a soft offer platform is a solid sign that we’re looking at the future of A.I. in marketing right now.”

Dr. Rosenberg mentioned that in the past, marketing experts relied on human knowledge, wisdom, and intuition in collecting data from the general public. He discussed that “the big push” recently has been in removing the people factor and using big data, noting that this is not nearly as effective as a lot of people think.(3)

“Marketing is all about people, and it was people that created the processes utilizing A.I.,” says Helms, noting that she agrees that A.I. should aim to harness the power of human intelligence.

“In weighing whether swarming will replace polling I see that for applications where accuracy is paramount, swarming is often the superior solution, especially when access to large populations is limited,” Dr. Rosenberg pointed out. “That said, for applications where accuracy is not the highest priority, polling may be a preferred process as it does not require simultaneous participation the way swarming does.”

To listen to the podcast episode on swarm A.I. in marketing with Dr. Louis Rosenberg, visit https://ifyoumarkettheywillcome.com/2020/05/05/78-the-role-of-a-i-in-marketing-with-dr-louis-rosenberg/.

The If You Market podcast is a 45-minute conversation about B2B marketing—new trends, best practices and established tried-and-true. Each episode features a conversation with one expert guest discussing topics like: content marketing, account-based marketing, social media, marketing automation, PR, etc. The podcast airs on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and Tunein Radio.

About Louis Rosenberg:

Dr. Louis Rosenberg is the Founder and CEO of Unanimous AI, an artificial intelligence company that amplifies the intelligence of human groups using algorithms modeled after swarms in nature. Their Swarm A.I. model predicted the Superfecta at the Kentucky Derby at 540 to 1 odds. Making a fortune at gambling is great, but Louis Rosenberg and Unanimous AI are focused on using their unique form of A.I. for marketing.

About the If You Market They Will Come Podcast:

Meet If You Market podcast host, Sky Cassidy—an accomplished B2B marketing guru. And his co-host, disruptive PR evangelist Karla Jo Helms. Together they talk with industry experts to analyze marketing and public relations tactics from a perspective of data leveraging in marketing, entrepreneurial insight, and a measure of crisis management.

Sky Cassidy is also the CEO of MountainTop Data. MountainTop Data, based in Los Angeles, CA, provides data and data services for B2B marketing. Karla Jo Helms is the CEO and Anti-PR Strategist of PR agency, JOTO PR DisruptorsTM, based in Tampa, Florida.

1. Staff Writer. “Searching For a New Home – Scouting Behavior of Honeybee Swarms,” Academic.oup.com, 20 December 2006. Web.

2. Staff Writer. “Can Humans Use Artificial Swarm Intelligence to Make Smarter, Faster Decisions?” SU.org, 9 September 2019. Web.

3. McFarland, Alex. “Microsoft to Replace Dozens of Journalists With AI,” Unite.ai, 1 June 2020. Web.

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