Boosting Concept Discovery in Collective Intelligences

Collective intelligence derives from the connection and the interaction of multiple, distributed, independent intelligent units via a network, such as, typically, a digital data network. As collective intelligences are effectively making their way into reality in consequence of ubiquitous digital communication, the opportunity and the challenge arise of extending their basic architecture in order to support higher thought-processes analogous to those characterizing human intelligences. We address here specifically the process of conceptual abstraction, namely the discovery of new concepts and ideas, and, to this purpose, we introduce the general functional notion of cognitive prosthesis supporting the implementation of a given thought-process in a collective intelligence. Since there exists a direct relationship between concept discovery and innovation in human intelligences, we point out how analogous innovation capabilities can now be supported for collective intelligences, with direct applications to Web-based innovation of products and services.