Swarm Intelligence
Collective problem-solving behavior that emerges from simple individual actions without centralized control. The group exhibits intelligence beyond any individual's capability.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 2 chapters:
"...contributes to flock's dynamic motion - the flock isn't just responding to external threats but also to internal competition for safe positions. Swarm Intelligence: Collective Problem-Solving Beyond predator defense, coordinated movement enables collective problem-solving - swarm intelligence."
"...smart contracts automatically execute approved decisions without requiring trusted intermediaries or centralized management. Biological Parallel - Swarm Intelligence: DAOs resemble swarm intelligence in insect colonies. Ant colonies make collective decisions (which food sources to exploit, where to build nest ch..."
Biological Context
Ant colonies find shortest paths to food through pheromone trails. Honeybee swarms select nest sites through democratic voting. Fish schools make better decisions than individual fish. Each individual follows simple rules; complex behavior emerges from interactions.
Business Application
Organizational swarm intelligence: prediction markets, collective estimation, and distributed decision-making. The challenge is designing systems where individual contributions aggregate into good collective decisions.