What Can Google's Dreams Teach Us?
If your Facebook, Instagram or Twitter feed has been serving you some rather unusual images lately, it could be the result of Google's "Deep Dream" system.
#DeepDream is an Artificial Intelligence algorithm, an off-shoot of the software designed to support Google's recently announced Photo service -- where you can upload and store bazillions of your images, for free.
The AI programming was put in place to help the system automatically sort and organize photos for users. It does a remarkable job of reviewing images and deciding if the image depicts a bicycle, beach ball, or bazooka.
Then came the Deep Dream algorithm, an experimental off-shoot of the original AI system.
The Deep Dream AI essentially feeds an image through a layer of artificial neurons, asking the system to enhance and build on certain features, such as edges or shadows. This AI script was released this week as an open source toolkit, and now images are being fed into the Deep Dream system by ordinary people around the world. Just for fun.
The system keys in on areas of ambiguity in the image -- and takes an interpretive leap to expand that ambiguous space into something new.
Shadows might become eyeballs. Wrinkles might become a bird's beak. And that's just the beginning.
Day to Day Ambiguity
In business, there's no escape from ambiguity. We deal with it everyday:
- Meetings with unclear purpose
- Confusing emails
- Voicemails that make no sense (my pet peeve)
- Reports, charts and memos that create confusion
- Unclear direction
The truth is, there are very few vocations in life in which you will encounter little/no ambiguity.
Taking action in the face of ambiguity is a key leadership trait.
Like the AI network, we need to deal with what we are provided. And we need to act. When you are faced with ambiguity in your work day, consider these tips:
- Resist your urge to control things
- Learn to act without the complete picture
- Be confident, while also being flexible
Just as the Deep Dream AI can create compelling images from ambiguity, we can also solve problems and challenges by embracing ambiguity, and acting upon it.
Be confident in your lateral thinking -- and just as Google taps into a mega-catalog of images and shapes to draw inspiration from -- allow yourself to draw inspiration from other areas of your experience and skills to solve the next ambiguous challenge that comes your way.
And if you are brave enough, click here for many more #deepdream images.