This week marked the launch of the Augmented Intelligence Course, my biggest announcement since launching this newsletter a year ago.
The first class went extremely well, and I’m proud of the result, which you can watch above.
Free subscribers get access to the first 20 minutes of the video above along with a link to the corresponding bot.
Paid subscribers get access to the live session, full recording, and the actual prompt of the bot so you can customize it for yourself.
See everyone next Tuesday at 11:00am EST for class #2. The Zoom link and the calendar link are at the bottom of this email and accessible to paying subscribers.
RECORDING RESOURCES
Presentation Slides
https://www.icloud.com/keynote/014wkydnzdPiqsH1889FXmynA#Augmented_Intelligence
Resources Shared
Boodle Box
BoodleBox brings together all of the top AIs, over 1,000+ custom GPTs, and tons of pro features into one platform. Pricing starts at $20/month.
Poe
Like BoodleBox, Poe is a platform that lets people ask questions, get instant answers, and have back-and-forth conversations with a wide variety of AI-powered bots. Poe also enables you to create your own Bot you can share with others. Pricing starts at $20/month.
AI Timestamps
(00:00) Augmented Intelligence and Learning
(06:16) Effective Learning and Iterative Progress
(21:03) Exploring Breakthrough Knowledge and Transformation
(39:44) Seeking Personal Breakthrough Knowledge
(01:03:11) Embracing Novelty and Managing Unknowns
AI Chapter Summaries
(00:00) Augmented Intelligence and Learning
This chapter introduces the concept of augmented intelligence and its intersection with learning. We explore the importance of co-creating learning experiences and how engaging interactions enhance the value of education. I emphasize the significance of learning how to learn, likening it to acquiring a genie that grants wishes, which underscores the power of mastering learning techniques. We also touch on the evolution of AI, highlighting the pivotal role of search and learning in its development. Additionally, I share personal insights from years of studying various disciplines related to learning, from psychology to adult development and AI, and reflect on how these insights have shaped my approach to teaching and personal growth. The session encourages active participation and fosters a collaborative environment to maximize the learning experience.
(06:16) Effective Learning and Iterative Progress
This chapter explores a universal model of learning that transcends various fields such as the military, business, adult development, and AI. We discuss how simply absorbing information from books or podcasts is just the beginning of the learning process. The true essence lies in processing this information, applying it in the real world, receiving feedback, and continuously evolving our understanding. The conversation touches on different iterations of this model, like the OODA loop and lean startup methodology, and emphasizes the importance of having a structured approach to learning. By understanding and augmenting each stage of this process, we can enhance our ability to learn efficiently and apply knowledge in broader contexts over time. The chapter also highlights the need to focus on fundamental learning techniques to better retain and utilize information, even in rapidly changing fields like AI.
(21:03) Exploring Breakthrough Knowledge and Transformation
This chapter explores the transformative power of breakthrough knowledge experiences, such as life-changing books, ideas, and concepts that expand our awareness and unlock new perspectives. We discuss how certain autobiographies, theories like chaos theory, and influential speakers like Lawrence Lessig and Nancy Duarte can shift our paradigms and enhance our understanding of our own potential. We examine patterns in these experiences, noting themes like the development of untapped mental abilities, new frameworks for viewing the world, and the diagnosis of personal issues paired with solutions. We also consider how AI tools like ChatGPT can help us further understand and create these breakthrough experiences in our lives.
(39:44) Seeking Personal Breakthrough Knowledge
This chapter focuses on the concept of breakthrough knowledge and how to effectively discover it using tools like ChatGPT. We explore how breakthrough knowledge is highly personalized and transformative, varying significantly depending on an individual's life stage and interests. The process involves asking a series of progressively refined questions to unearth more meaningful and novel insights. Real-life examples, such as discovering new activities like Pickleball, illustrate the potential impact of breakthrough knowledge on one's life. Emphasizing the importance of novelty and the iterative nature of the questioning process, we highlight how dedicating time to learn about and seek out breakthrough knowledge can lead to significant personal growth and transformation.
(01:03:11) Embracing Novelty and Managing Unknowns
This chapter introduces the concept of exploring new ways of thinking and emphasizes the importance of managing what we don't know. Drawing inspiration from Ray Dalio's quote, "how you manage what you don't know is more important than how you manage what you know," we focus on the significance of seeking novelty and innovation through AI queries. The discussion encourages regularly pursuing the discovery of unknowns and breaking through conventional thinking patterns. As the first lesson of an experimental course, it sets the stage for future sessions aimed at uncovering exciting possibilities and evolving ideas. The chapter concludes with a note of appreciation and a reminder to reconvene next Tuesday.
Chat Transcript
11:02:12 From John T Kelly : YES and ys
11:04:47 From kevin whitcher : Will you be sending out a slide deck?
11:04:49 From Jay Twining : Hey Michael!
11:04:51 From Dennis Serrano : Hey Michael!
11:04:52 From Janet Ridsdale : Hi from Canada
11:04:53 From Sam A. Shukor : Hi
11:04:59 From erwin : Hi Michael
11:05:06 From John Yen : Good morning!
11:05:09 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Hi everyone. Good to see you again, Michael - we spoke several years ago.
11:05:17 From David D. : Greetings...
11:05:18 From Kev Khayat : Aye up from Nottingham
11:05:56 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Oh yeah, I’m in Los Altos Hills, Silicon Valley, California - Belly of the Beast. 😳
11:07:32 From Ram Iyer (www.MiTRamiyer.com) : Greetings from Princeton, New Jersey
11:10:17 From Michael Simmons : https://medium.com/accelerated-intelligence/research-reveals-the-four-steps-to-learn-faster-than-everyone-else-cc8c05ff528d
11:11:53 From John T Kelly : makes perfect sense
11:12:09 From kevin whitcher : Learning is a continuous loop!
11:12:25 From Matt Gordon : Can you explain the difference between an algorithm and a mental model?
11:12:36 From Janet Ridsdale : exactly
11:12:37 From John T Kelly : I would add a step about deciding on the MEANING behind learning 'x'
11:12:40 From Sam A. Shukor : Can you elaborate a bit about the algorithms? what does that mean?
11:12:46 From David D. : Where are the adjustments made to what you do in the experimentation?
11:15:24 From John T Kelly : What was pilot's name?
11:16:09 From Michael Simmons : John Boyd
11:16:21 From Timothy Finn : yeah pickleball!
11:16:27 From kevin whitcher : https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780316881463
11:17:19 From Tim : Are you far with poe.com? It accesses many AI sources. I've been using it and have had great success.
11:17:44 From Vasilis : Perplexity
11:17:49 From Dennis Serrano : Perplexity.ai
11:18:01 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : I like Gemini
11:18:04 From erwin : Recommend https://boodlebox.ai/ that gives you access to all multiple ( claude and GPT, as wellas others)
11:18:19 From erwin : 15 / month
11:19:42 From John T Kelly : a higher Being (Intuition)
11:22:50 From David D. : The video series, "The Holographic Universe."
11:23:00 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Reading Autobiography of a Yogi - opened me up to possibilities I’d never imagined.
11:23:05 From kevin whitcher : The Three Principles approach to thinking (eg Michael Neill)
11:23:17 From Jay Twining : Book "Mastery": Part of developing a lifetime of mastery is being comfortable and enjoying the boring plateaus that lead to growth.
11:23:18 From Sam A. Shukor : usually philosophy
11:23:28 From Rikke (Ricki) : (this year) Fluke by Brian Klaas - Chaos theory - We control nothing, but influence everything!
11:23:33 From Diego Leal : A keynote by Lawrence Lessig helped me see there was a completely different way to make presentations. Then I found Nancy Duarte... 😄
11:23:50 From John T Kelly : 80/20 - Richard Koch, Power Vs Force David Hawkins
11:23:59 From David D. : It was the concept that everything we call 'reality' is really projected from inside of us.
11:24:23 From Mubarak : for me it was the The slight edge
11:25:16 From Kev Khayat : Lean Startup by Eric Reis
11:25:21 From Mubarak : The compound efect
11:25:36 From John T Kelly : 80/20 - huge efficiency gains. Hawkins - a whole new way to look at our minds/emotions
11:25:43 From Janet Ridsdale : Power of Positive thinking
11:25:45 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Reacted to "80/20 - huge efficie..." with 🌟
11:25:53 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Reacted to "The compound efect" with 🌟
11:26:14 From Rob Wallace : Gary Taubes “Why We get Fat” & “ Nina Teicholz the Big Fat Surprise. & Richard Koch Books
11:26:22 From Janet Ridsdale : I was really young so it change my world
11:26:23 From erwin : Originals by Adam Grant - That having a disorganized mind, or being a non conformist can be an advantage.
11:26:38 From Dennis Serrano : The Game Of Quantum Syntax Grammar
11:26:39 From Sam A. Shukor : the poetics of space by Gaston Bachelard
11:26:40 From kevin whitcher : Pattern seems to be we create our own reality
11:26:40 From Vasilis : Marcus Aurelius - Meditations
11:26:49 From Tim : Think & Grow Rich
11:26:58 From Jay Twining : "The Thief of Always" - Clive Barker - Relationships, looking behind the actions of others: "getting what you want isn't always what you need."
11:27:07 From Zeff Morgan : Peaks and Valleys-Spencer Johnson ... power of perspective
11:27:16 From Gordon Raup : The Minds Eye by Oliver Sacks. Shows how much of our certainty about what we know is constructed by the brain.
11:27:26 From John Hipsley : Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
11:27:40 From Rob Wallace : Into the Magic Shop - James Doty
11:27:42 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind - Shunryu Suzuki - the magic of being in the present.
11:27:45 From kevin whitcher : Anything by John Demartini
11:27:49 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Reacted to "Into the Magic Shop ..." with 🌟
11:28:06 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Ditto - Into the Magic Shop!
11:28:08 From Jay Twining : This is Water: WFW
11:28:13 From David D. : Matrix 5 by Val Valerian
11:28:40 From kevin whitcher : We create our own reality with our thinking
11:28:40 From Jay Twining : Expansion of Awareness (internal and external)
11:28:45 From Tim : You become what you think about
11:28:59 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Pattern: development of untapped mental abilities
11:29:02 From Janet Ridsdale : Opening our minds to possiblities
11:29:08 From Zeff Morgan : Meta-cognition
11:29:11 From Kev Khayat : Framework to see the world in a different way, to get unstuck because the thinking that got us here won’t get us to the next stage
11:29:13 From John T Kelly : "A Beautiful Constraint'- Morgan & Barden
11:29:15 From Rodney Daut : Diagnosis of an issue paired with solution
11:29:19 From Vasilis : providing another point of view
11:29:22 From John Hipsley : Begin with Yourself - Each one of us needs to identify our core reason for being
11:29:29 From David D. : Paradigm challenging concepts
11:29:30 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Pattern: Shift in perspective
11:29:56 From Gordon Raup : Reacted to "Paradigm challenging..." with 👍
11:30:00 From Tim : Getting outside your mental comfort zone
11:30:53 From Sam A. Shukor : discovering meanings in phenomena
11:30:58 From Rob Wallace : For me: Gary Taubes “Why We get Fat” & “ Nina Teicholz the Big Fat Surprise. Revealed that “Science” was really just a political and incentive system to preserve a dominant model of the world that may actually have zero evidence.
11:32:34 From Gordon Raup : Reacted to "For me: Gary Taubes ..." with 👍
11:33:12 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : What are the different ways I could experience a life changing breakthrough in understanding?
11:34:14 From Michael Simmons : I want to better understand how to create breakthrough knowledge experiences in my life. A breakthrough knowledge experience is one of those rare experiences (eg, saying from a mentor, a passage from book, or a life experience) that completely transforms our understanding of life, our own potential hidden, latent abilities.
11:36:18 From Kev Khayat : Would you agree that most breakthrough experiences are unexpected? In which case, how can we intentionally re-create the circumstances?
11:36:20 From John T Kelly : MS - could you use a larger font?
11:36:21 From David D. : What mental habits and attitudes are generally a part of the psyches of the top 1% of people in the world?
11:36:40 From John T Kelly : MS - ask question again pls
11:36:48 From Zeff Morgan : Going "meta" ... "How can I apply the concept of metacognition to create better self-understanding that leads to transformative thinking?" This is the beginning of a prompt ... expand on this prompt so I can make the best use of AI to understand and apply the concept.
Use AI to help prompt AI.
11:36:55 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : I’ve read many good books on intuition/creativity that give great examples of this.
11:36:57 From Vasilis : is there a specific framework or process that i can implement in order to discover breakthrough knowledge experiences?
11:37:10 From Kev Khayat : Reacted to "is there a specific ..." with 👍
11:37:18 From Rob Wallace : Several breakthrough experiences and practices are well-documented in academic literature for their potential benefits but are not widely adopted by the general population. Some of these include:
1. **Floatation Therapy (Sensory Deprivation Tanks)**: Known to reduce stress, anxiety, and improve mental clarity and creativity. Despite its documented benefits, it remains relatively niche.
2. **Mindfulness Meditation**: Extensive research shows its benefits for reducing stress, enhancing focus, and improving emotional regulation. However, consistent practice is not widespread among the general public.
3. **Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Techniques for Self-Help**: While CBT is a cornerstone of modern psychotherapy, many individuals do not utilize self-help CBT techniques that can manage anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
Etc
11:37:27 From erwin : We want to put the breaktrough knowledge in action.
11:37:54 From David D. : What are the top 5 questions that the most creative, most effective people ask themselves to create paradigm-shifting breakthroughs that change industries and society?
11:38:05 From Zeff Morgan : Reacted to "What are the top 5 q..." with 👍
11:38:08 From kevin whitcher : Dear ChatGPT… what is the meaning of life? ;)
11:39:15 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Give me examples of people who've had breakthrough experiences in self knowledge, explaining how they achieved them.
11:39:26 From Gordon Raup : Replying to "Dear ChatGPT… what i..."
I think Michael already mentioned that its 42. ;-)
11:39:26 From Jay Twining : What are the top performing mindsets, methods, and avoided mistakes in a specific area that can be universally applied to other non-related areas of life?
11:40:33 From Vasilis : maybe the quality of questions we ask lead us to breaktrough experiences
11:40:46 From Rob Wallace : Replying to "Several breakthrough..."
That was the response I got t=from Chat GPT from What are the breakthrough experiences that are specialties widely known in academic literature, but not actually adopted by most people?
11:41:33 From John T Kelly : "What is the one thing I THINK is true about ____ but isn't?"
11:42:01 From John T Kelly : Repeat assignment
11:42:25 From Rodney Daut : What is our starting point?
11:45:19 From Vasilis : can you please go back to the slide with the main questions you wrote ?
11:45:50 From Michael Simmons : How do we use the limited time we have to find breakthrough knowledge in a sea of distraction?
11:46:15 From Sam A. Shukor : My question: what are the best criteria for breakthrough knowledge that makes a transition in ones life?
ChatGPT: Breakthrough knowledge that fosters life-altering transitions is characterized by its credibility, relevance, and novelty. Credibility stems from robust evidence or research supporting the information. Relevance to personal circumstances or aspirations amplifies the impact of the knowledge. Novel insights can trigger significant shifts in thinking, paving the way for transformative changes in one's life.
11:46:19 From Gordon Raup : Yes, I find the answers I'm looking for mostly on the 3rd or 4th question, not the first.
11:48:03 From Janet Ridsdale : I asked how I would teach a teenager to look for break through knowledge
11:48:22 From Janet Ridsdale : It lead me to critical thinking them socrates
11:48:56 From Gergo To Michael Simmons(privately) : Sorry I missed the first minutes. Are we supposed to access this presentation somewhere?
11:49:17 From Michael Simmons : https://www.icloud.com/keynote/014wkydnzdPiqsH1889FXmynA#Augmented_Intelligence
11:49:30 From Gergo : Reacted to "https://www.icloud.c…" with 🙏
11:49:39 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : I got some very sound, practical advice from asking: What should those seeking to develop deeper intuition avoid doing?
11:49:55 From kevin whitcher : 1 - ChatGPT, I am seeking to have a better understanding of how I can maximise my mental potential to achieve more. I need some inspiration from writers that have experienced breakthroughs in their own lives. Can you suggest 20 writers that I might explore to achieve this?
2 - Can you give me a one sentence summary of the significant changes that each experienced?
3 - Which three of these authors, based upon your knowledge of my work and interests, do you consider would resonate most with myself?
11:50:43 From Rikke (Ricki) : Sometimes when I get stuck with AI, I find it helpful to also give Claude a few quirky details about myself to help it personalise its answers more (instead of getting lost in intellectual / generic faffery).
11:50:55 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : The first answer from ChatGPT was the most superficial, citing popular meditation methods rather than deeper, more effective ones. But a couple more questions got us to a useful place.
11:51:02 From Tayler Cresswell : Some of the authors and books suggested seem to be mixed up in terms of what book belongs to what writer - which makes me wonder how much you can trust what it’s telling us?
11:51:16 From Jay Twining : I used a meta prompt and have gotten some solid responses.
Prompt 1:
Hey chat, I'm working on something called [Breakthrough Knowledge.} I have a bunch of questions that I want you to review before providing an answer. Say ready if you understand.
Prompt 2:
[Breakthrough Knowledge] is a framework or experience which helps reach a new level of performance, thought pattern, and/or habit. What are the well researched academic studies which have expanded the abilities of people that are not well understood by most people. I'm looking for things that more novel than you're typical response. Some examples are submerssion tanks (floatation theory), Mindfulness Meditation, Cognitive Behavior Theory. Please organize this life and include its credibility as defined by academic study, application, and use by contrarians, ultra performers, and outliers. Do you have any questions?
11:51:19 From Mubarak : 10
11:51:21 From kevin whitcher : 7
11:51:22 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : 7
11:51:26 From Sam A. Shukor : 9
11:51:27 From Zeff Morgan : 8
11:51:27 From erwin : 8
11:51:29 From Tim : 7 to 8
11:51:31 From Janet Ridsdale : 7
11:51:34 From David D. : 8
11:51:37 From Gergo : 6-7
11:51:37 From Rob Wallace : 4
11:51:42 From Jay Twining : Pretty good: 8.
11:52:02 From Mubarak : Reacted to "Sometimes when I g..." with 👍
11:52:03 From Sam A. Shukor : ChatGPT: The most influential details for customizing a response effectively typically include profession, personal interests, and location. Profession offers insight into your expertise and areas of focus, enabling tailored content that aligns with your field. Personal interests provide a glimpse into your passions and hobbies, allowing for connections on a more personal level. Additionally, location can shape the context of the discussion by considering regional nuances or relevant factors specific to your area. By honing in on these key details, responses can be finely tuned to resonate with you authentically.
11:52:03 From David D. : I was once told that the best way to get great results from ChatGPT was to think of it as an assistant or an employee.
11:52:21 From Sam A. Shukor : sorry my question was: can you highlight the details that are most influential
11:52:37 From Kev Khayat : There’s a difference between breakthrough for a person as opposed to a field of thought
11:53:05 From Gordon Raup : I rarely get good results for broad questions, but the results can give me ideas for how to ask a more specific question to get at what I'm looking for.
11:53:18 From Mubarak : Replying to "Sometimes when I g..."
That is only way I use AI by giving it details about me
11:53:39 From Kev Khayat : Reacted to "Sometimes when I get..." with 👍
11:53:46 From Janet Ridsdale : Super valuable
11:54:06 From Rikke (Ricki) : Reacted to "That is only way I u..." with 👍
11:55:01 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Meet new people….
11:58:31 From Ronald H. Joe : Thesis + Antithesis = New Synthesis
11:58:45 From Sam A. Shukor : appreciate you finale! dialectical thinking!
11:59:56 From kevin whitcher : Fun exercise options
11:59:57 From Dennis Serrano : Quantum Grammar Trainer/Corrector
12:00:08 From Vasilis : randomize of search results on Google
12:00:25 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : A bot that feeds me new local nature adventure options every weekend.
12:00:27 From Timothy Finn : coachbot that works with me through challenges using motivational interviewing techniques
12:00:41 From Rodney Daut : Simple, healthy menu planner
12:00:42 From Kev Khayat : Novel ways to feel more energetic
12:00:56 From Kev Khayat : Reacted to "coachbot that works ..." with 👍
12:01:10 From Dada Nabhaniilananda : Have to jump off, sorry. See you all next week!
12:01:13 From Rob Wallace : A bot that can teach me the key insights of the books that I have bought but haven’y got around to reading.
12:01:33 From Jay Twining : I've always loved seeing how a concept is expressed in other languages. (I'm bilingual French/English.) So learning the French equivalent helps frame of concept more deeply.
12:01:48 From Sam A. Shukor : my question: what are the novelty opportunities when it comes to careers?
CGPT: Novelty in career opportunities arises from embracing emerging technologies like AI and blockchain, exploring the gig economy, and venturing into niche industries or interdisciplinary roles. By adapting to these novel paths, individuals can forge unique and fulfilling career trajectories in a dynamic professional landscape.
12:01:48 From Kev Khayat : Reacted to "I've always loved se..." with 👍
12:01:48 From Gergo : Daily dose of information that challenge my beliefs and habits
12:02:09 From Dennis Serrano : Novel ways to make concentration increased/augmented.
12:02:34 From Dennis Serrano : Hey Michael Dennis here. \
12:02:37 From Dennis Serrano : Lol.
12:02:43 From erwin : Novel ways that helps improve my critical thinking and helps improve my articulation (storytelling) of the inspired thoughts so that others can quickly grasp.
12:03:04 From Ronald H. Joe : A bot to teach me key principles, ideas, etc. about XYZ. (XYZ being a topic I know nothing about).
12:03:10 From Vasilis : A bot that presents me a new Mental Model every day
12:03:12 From David D. : A bot that can ask you novel questions in a particular field that will stimulate new ideas.
12:03:45 From David D. : Challenge your habitual thoughts and ideas...
12:03:55 From kevin whitcher : Find a way of achieving something that works better for me
12:04:07 From Tim : Actively seek/create Breakthrough Experiences
12:04:30 From Anesh's iphone 12 Pro : Whats the book on Goals you shared Michael? The best things are ……
12:04:38 From Ronald H. Joe : New ways to think about thinking cool, weird, exciting, and most of all, POSSIBLE. You have no idea!
12:04:44 From Kev Khayat : The circumstances that give rise to breakthrough experiences
12:04:52 From Ram Iyer (www.MiTRamiyer.com) : Why Greatness Cannot be Planned
12:04:55 From Michael Simmons :
12:04:56 From Anesh's iphone 12 Pro : Why greatness cannot be planned. Thank you.
12:05:08 From Michael Simmons : https://www.icloud.com/keynote/014wkydnzdPiqsH1889FXmynA#Augmented_Intelligence
12:05:17 From Janet Ridsdale : “Quake ideas
12:05:24 From Sam A. Shukor : take away: look for a breakthrough by considering novelty in thinking
12:05:27 From Gordon Raup : Regularly pursue discovering new things you didn’t know using AI queries
12:05:55 From Jay Twining : I love the Dialectical Thinking example. I've used something similar in the past. I like the idea of reviewing past knowledge and assumptions and pursuing something novel to "upgrade"
12:05:57 From Dennis Serrano : Pursue personal augmentation.
12:05:58 From Rikke (Ricki) : Love the phrase Quake Books!
12:05:59 From erwin : Thank you Michael. I have to drop. Great first class.
12:05:59 From Dawn Lemanne, MD : Use AI to explore novelties, go to the “what you don’t know you don’t know”
12:06:07 From Anesh's iphone 12 Pro : Thank you Michael
12:06:13 From Dennis Serrano : Thank you Michael!
12:06:15 From Anesh's iphone 12 Pro : You’re amazing
12:06:17 From John T Kelly : THX
12:06:17 From Sam A. Shukor : great session thanks!
12:06:22 From Gergo : Thank you Michael!
12:06:25 From Diego Leal : Thank you!
