_CONNOR
ABOUT US
a lab at the intersection of
science, culture,
and capital
We identify the principles of independent thinking
Then we teach them to AI natives.
THE CHALLENGE
The problem humanity needs to solve (soon)
AI doesn’t democratize opportunity.
It gives infinite leverage to experts and renders beginners obsolete. By automating entry-level tasks, AI removes the training ground for beginners.
It also greatly reduces the motivation to obtain knowledge in the first place. Instead of leveraging our thinking, we much rather delegate it.
How does this affect those still learning to think? We’re already witnessing a decline of human cognition, education, and mental health, hitting Gen Alpha hardest.
OUR FOCUS
The "side-effects" of AI supported thinking
Cognitive Offloading
What are the longterm effects on our cognitive abilities when we fully rely on AI to provide a starting point and/or the solution?
CAN WE LEARN FROM HISTORY
We've been here before
-> We had to invent the gym.
When we stopped doing physical labor we had to start using artificial weights to keep our bodies healthy.
Will we need gyms for our brains?
MEET CONNOR
The Think Tank
-> The goal:
Finding the formula behind intelligence and independent thinking. Preserve and progress it in the age of AI.
We bring together those who excel at innovative thinking, and scientists who can identify their patterns. Connor operates in sprints, each sprint is dedicated to one clearly defined aspect of human intelligence.
-
Knowledge:
Research the formula and the cognitive impact of AI on human thought. -
Awareness:
Start an informed public discourse through collaboration with artists who shape our culture. -
Action:
Build the next generation of companies helping us to better co-exist with AI
Sprint 1: Contrarian Thinking & The Power of Being Wrong
The Thesis:
Excellence is achieved through non-conformity.
The Method:
Step 1 = The Formula
We curate a Think Tank with creatives, entrepreneurs, scientists, and athletes who achieved outstanding results by thinking differently to dissect their thinking process and principles.
We look for shared patterns in:
- their general approach/lens
- selection of information,
- emotional reaction to opposition,
- decision making criteria.
We research the circumstances that shaped their thinking. We also explore how they strategically and emotionally deal with being wrong.
We refer to neuroscience to potentially measure brain activity, dopamine levels, and other bio-markers unique to those enjoying contrarian thinking.
-> The outcome: The Contrarian Thinking Formula
Step 2 = The AI Effect
Focus groups with kids ages 14-16.
We give GenAlpha a problem to solve that requires contrarian thinking, observe how their principles and approach differs from "expert thinkers", as well as their emotional response.
We then openly discuss the thinking patterns of the experts to understand which step is the most challenging for them, and most often delegated to generative AI.
-> The outcome: The GenAlpha Snapshot
Step 3 = The Projection
A final round table with outstanding thinkers, futurists, and macroeconomists to explore the trajectory, based on the findings and their expertise.
The goal is to go beyond the obvious. We search for black-swan events, blind spots, and unexpected consequences.
-> The outcome: The Human ScoreCard
The formula of contrarian thinking, its differences with GenAlpha, and it's trajectory.
Bill Ackman:
Activist investor known for taking highly public, contrarian bets (such as his short against Herbalife).
Jon Batiste
"The Black Mozart" is the first to re-interpret classical music with blues elements.
Bryson DeChambeau:
Known in professional golf as "The Scientist." First to apply physics concepts to his game based on mathematical mechanics.
ADDING CULTURE
Culture
We turn the The Human Scorecard into a creative brief and competition placing it directly into the hands of the most relevant voices in culture, art and entertainment.
Our focus:
- Film/TV
- Gaming
- Music
- Fiction
- Advertising
Beyond individual creatives we also partner with movie studios, and publishers to reach artists at scale.
The Output:
1. The Campaign
We partner with creative agencies to create fun, quirky, powerful campaigns and PSAs promoting the thinking principles we discovered in our sprint.
(Think the "passiton" campaigns.)
2. The Platform
We publish a platform curating all work produced from the brief. The most defining pieces are showcased at an annual flagship event.
ADDING CAPITAL
Capital
We translate the findings into an actionable, strategic brief for emerging founders. We partner with accelerators and run design-thinking sprints with selected EIRs to ideate and build solutions addressing our findings.
The Output:
Market-tested ideas for applications focused on protecting and elevating our thinking with the use of AI.
