Ethan Mollick: Co-Intelligence — Living and Working with AI
Primary Source: Penguin Random House
Author: Ethan Mollick · Year: 2024 · Publisher: Portfolio / Penguin
Summary
A foundational practitioner guide and theoretical framework for human-AI collaboration. Mollick examines how large language models function as thought partners, creative collaborators, tutors, and co-workers, proposing four core principles for navigating the “jagged technological frontier” through Centaur and Cyborg workflows.
Key Points
- The Jagged Frontier: AI capabilities do not advance uniformly; tasks of seemingly identical difficulty may fall wildly inside or outside current model competence.
- Centaur vs. Cyborg Workflows: Contrasts division-of-labor handoffs (Centaur) with deeply intertwined, sub-task-level human-machine continuous mesh interaction (Cyborg).
- Four Rules of Co-Intelligence:
- Always invite AI to the table.
- Be the human in the loop.
- Treat AI like a person (but remember it isn’t one).
- Assume this is the worst AI you will ever use.