Unstructured Intelligence

For much of my career I have been in creative roles, and my expertise was rooted in creative communication or design platforms. As my role evolved over time, I needed different programs for analytics and reporting, but Excel gave me absolute flashbacks from my Accounting class days in Business Administration.

I used to compare spreadsheet cells to tiny jail cells where creativity was sent as a punishment, which in retrospect, makes a lot of sense as to perhaps why my mind just couldn’t compute. The rigidity of spreadsheet structures was somehow paralyzing.

In data science, unstructured data is often forgotten or not considered, making it an unlikely candidate for valuation. With most organizations storing large quantities of unstructured data, (upwards of 80%), these assets wait patiently for the day they can be identified and valued accordingly. Or perhaps they'll continue to take up storage and never be put to use...

For someone relatively new to the technical world of data structure types, my recent awareness of unstructured data’s characteristics and untapped potential almost immediately made me think of neurodivergence. The irony of that random pivot does not escape me.

Being a visual thinker is not always easy.

It can be distracting. It can be awkward. It can be entertaining.

While I've found it can be easier to absorb new information or complex concepts, identify connected themes, or highlight opportunities in ways perhaps deemed unorthodox, but to then verbally communicate those discoveries to others?

…..Can I draw it for you?

....Perhaps write a lengthy email?

Maybe send you links to articles I've read about it so they can better explain it?

If you've ever worked with me - you know this.

Thank You GenAI

The flood of GenAI platforms that help advance and expedite information to new formats has been extremely beneficial for articulating concepts that predominantly appeared as images in my mind. I've often joked that I think in flashcards, but that's really what appears for me during conversations and meetings. Sometimes they're static accompaniments that aren't anything more than a picture of what someone just said, other times they're motion pictures, and sometimes they're detailed process diagrams and modules on the topics or activities currently being discussed.

While casual exchanges are not as colourfully represented, the more complex the interactions are, the more active my visual contributions to the conversation are. Then it's a matter of describing what I see in the middle of the conversation, or taking a lot of notes to better organize my ideas in a quieter space to share more effectively, later.

But with platforms like ChatGPT- I can now briefly describe these ideas and concepts to an interactive system that is able to elaborate and organize them for me in a much more clear and structured format. In many ways this has felt like a missing puzzle piece finally falling into place.

For example, I could leave a meeting and have the entire process mapped out in my mind as to what I'd recommend we do. What is it that I'm seeing though, is there already a name for it?

I could ask ChatGPT: "Help me articulate these bullet points into a clear plan."

And then list bullet point descriptions of what I know the objective is, project requirements, my visual ideas such as workflows and themes, and then let it produce a draft numbered overview. From there I can accept or reject what has been generated, and interact with the model to revise and develop something that can now be brought to my peers for collaboration.

This process saves incredible amounts of time for me, and I apply it towards a variety of tasks I encounter each week.

We live in a society that somewhat standardizes conformity, assigns norms, and promotes structure, but when people don’t learn or communicate in ways that match expectations, there is a higher probability for misconceptions and presumptions around the individual’s abilities.

The Forgotten Value of Unstructured Data

Unstructured data, comprised of texts, images, videos, and more, holds a wealth of information and insight that structured data is unable to fully capture. Yet, these seeds of data can grow into sources of knowledge for companies to reap the benefits from.

With recent advancements in GenAI designed specifically for these formerly forgotten assets, companies can turn their unstructured intelligence into essential resource hubs.

It’s possible that even the preferred definition of what data is, has been a barrier that prevented yourself or others from appreciating the value that these unrecognized sources can provide.

A rose by any other name…

Here are some of the many sources, use cases, and tangible value that can be accessed within your unstructured data:

Much like how unstructured data may require different approaches or methodologies for it to be analyzed and understood, neurodivergent individuals possess unique perspectives, creativity, and problem-solving abilities that don’t always fit within the conventional metrics of assessment or success.

Not Fitting into Tidy Spreadsheets

I now have a major appreciation for those little cells and rely on them as guardrails for strategic collection, positioning, and presentation of information. My boss may even attest that they help keep me and my unstructured ideas more organized.

Traditional workplaces and educational institutions were designed around the assumption of a neurotypical brain, and were likely tested and approved by teams of people who all fit into their own biased nuances and norms.

There also seems to be an element of cognitive dissonance that transpires when these standardized expectations are not mirrored by people that don’t outwardly appear to be different.

Thankfully these spaces and the systems within them continue to improve over time, as people understand that this misalignment doesn't reflect a flaw in the neurodivergent individual, just as the challenge of categorizing unstructured data doesn't negate its tangible value.

Rather, it highlights the limitations of rigid structures and systems that fail to accommodate different datasets. Shifting perspectives and adjusting the lens we use to perceive value, is all it takes.

Potential Central: The Value of Diverse Minds

The traditional balance of abilities that many neurotypicals inherently possess and that society had grown accustomed to expecting, has evolved to encompass the contrasting spectrum of abilities from neurodivergent individuals as well. This acceptance could have grown from several contributing factors, starting with education and awareness, but other catalysts behind this acceptance could be due to the massive working from home movement brought on from the pandemic.

For those lucky enough to still have a hybrid or full-time WFH scenario, many of the people that used to struggle unnecessarily from distracting and overwhelming office settings no longer need to mask their sensory overloads or social anxiety. These individuals are now able to perform to the best of their abilities in environments better suited to their needs, instead of feeling penalized or disadvantaged for not being able to adapt.

For both unstructured sources the path forward is clear: celebrate diverse datasets, adapt our tools and assessment systems, and embrace the value you haven’t been able to recognize.