Age of Invisible Machines

CHAPTER 9Ecosystem Evolution Explained

Now that you have an understanding of the key terms I'll be using, let's unpack the conceptual and practical elements of our ecosystem. A basic familiarity with the conceptual models of content strategy, or content strategy for websites and brands, can be a helpful foundation for understanding what it means to build a strategy for an ecosystem of intelligent digital workers.

I've identified four evolutionary phases that an IDW can move through as it becomes better at completing tasks: literacy, knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom. Note, however, that the lines where one phase ends and the next starts aren't clearly defined. All skills employ each of the described characteristics; simple skills use them to a lesser degree, and more evolved skills use them to a greater degree.

FIGURE 9.1 We've identified four evolutionary phases that an IDW can move through.

The Four Evolution Phases of an IDW

Literacy

During the literacy phase the IDW consumes and transforms numbers and characters into information. This can be either raw data, such as an integer that can be decoded into a date, or the formatted version of that integer into a date (e.g. 01-01-2020). I often refer to an IDW in this phase as a primitive digital worker.

Knowledge

In the knowledge phase the IDW gains understanding of the context of its information—knowing how and why ...