In the realm of leadership, the importance of excellent decision-making is often taken for granted. Yet, when was the last time you saw ‘decision-making’ listed as a skill on a resume? Or when did you last consciously work on enhancing your own decision-making abilities? These questions are at the heart of Cassie Kozyrkov’s work. After working as the Chief Decision Scientist for Google, and as the founder of Decision Intelligence, Kozyrkov has dedicated her life to optimizing human decision-making.
Decision Intelligence, as defined by Kozyrkov, is the art of turning information into better action in any setting and at any scale. “There’s more to decision-making than meets the eye. Even if you’ve been making decisions your whole life, there’s no guarantee that you’re good at it. That’s the first big misconception,” says Kozyrkov. “The second is that decision skills can’t be upgraded. To the contrary, improving your decision intelligence is not only possible but urgently needed as we move towards an AI-fuelled future.”
Unfortunately, society often overlooks decision-making as a skill worth investing in. This traditional attitude was relatively harmless when most people’s decisions lacked the potential for scale. However, in today’s AI-fuelled world, technology affords individual decision-makers the kind of reach that was once reserved for kings and popes. Now, individuals can, with little to no training, scale their decision-making up to affect thousands, if not millions or billions, of lives.
Decoding Decision Intelligence
Decision Intelligence is a groundbreaking discipline that is reshaping the way we approach decision-making. It is a field that integrates wisdom from a variety of previously siloed disciplines to enhance the effectiveness of our decisions. The essence of Decision Intelligence lies in its ability to bring together diverse perspectives on decision-making, making us stronger collectively and giving these perspectives a new voice, free from the traditional constraints of their originating fields of study.
In the context of AI, if research AI is likened to building microwaves and applied AI to using microwaves, Decision Intelligence is the practice of using microwaves safely to meet your goals and opting for something else when a microwave isn’t needed. The objective is always the starting point for Decision Intelligence. It’s about using technology responsibly and effectively to achieve our goals.
Kozyrkov and her team are committed to promoting this discipline. They’ve already trained over 20,000 staff members in Decision Intelligence, covering all the applied aspects of machine learning and data science. The goal is to ensure that as we build powerful ‘magic lamps’ with AI and machine learning, we also equip leaders with the skills to ‘wish responsibly’. In other words, to use these powerful tools in a way that is ethical, responsible, and beneficial for all.
In the AI era, Decision Intelligence is not just a nice-to-have, but a must-have discipline. It covers the skills needed to lead AI projects responsibly and design objectives, metrics, and safety-nets for automation at scale. It’s about turning information into better actions at any scale, and it’s a vital science for anyone looking to lead in this new era.
An urgent need for better decision skills
Kozyrkov firmly believes that there’s no such thing as autonomous technology that’s free of human influence. While most people view AI as a tool to aid human decision-making, they often overlook the fact that AI itself is a product of human decisions. “We’ve allowed our technology to be faceless. That’s a mistake. Behind every AI system, there are people making subjective decisions. Do they have the skill level commensurate with the scale of influence they’ve been afforded?” she questions.
The promise and peril of AI lie in its ability to enable thoughtlessness. It is alarmingly easy to have a negative impact on the world, and the best countermeasure we have is to upgrade ourselves. There’s no purely technological solution for this, no silver bullet. As decision-makers wield ever-larger levers, it’s time to take their skills seriously, not just at an organizational level but at a societal and global level.
Most people forget just how subjective AI is. It is not an impartial, infallible entity, but a tool shaped by human hands and minds. AI demands better skills, and Kozyrkov is on a mission to ensure that the world – especially its leaders and aspiring leaders – has them. Decision-making is a way in which we can build a better world for all of us. Through her work in Decision Intelligence, Kozyrkov aims to equip individuals with the skills necessary to use AI responsibly and effectively, ensuring a future where technology serves humanity, rather than the other way around.
The danger of data with a capital ‘D’
Over the past couple of decades, technologists have been enamored with data, or as Kozyrkov would put it, “they’ve been pronouncing data as though it has a capital ‘D’”. However, she reminds us that data is merely an extension of a journey humanity embarked on thousands of years ago with the advent of writing. “Data isn’t magic, it’s memory,” says Kozyrkov. “It’s the ability to quickly and reliably access records, which might be useful or might be more akin to a hoarder’s messy attic than a well-curated museum. It might have useful elements but it might also be filled with garbage.” Upgraded memory is significant, but it doesn’t replace the ability to reason.
This is why data science, with its fascination with data, isn’t nearly as powerful as a decision-first approach, provided the decision-maker can get data science support when the decision’s information requirements get technical. Each half is impotent without the other, which is why Kozyrkov saw the need for a holistic discipline that augments data science with the behavioral and managerial sciences.
So, is Decision Intelligence the answer? Kozyrkov believes so. She argues that we urgently need a discipline that encompasses everything humanity has learned about how to improve its decision-making, since most of the failures and risks related to AI systems are human failures of decision-making. Additionally, the decision sciences rose and fell from prominence decades before the tools were invented to fulfil their potential. It’s time, Kozyrkov asserts, that we took another look with modern eyes.
Kozyrkov’s founding of Decision Intelligence represents this fresh perspective. It’s a discipline that brings together the best of applied data science, social science, and managerial science into a unified field. It’s about turning information into better actions at any scale. It’s a vital science for the AI era, covering the skills needed to lead AI projects responsibly and design objectives, metrics, and safety-nets for automation at scale. It’s time to embrace Decision Intelligence and unlock its potential in shaping a better future.
Evolving over the Years as a Leader
Kozyrkov grew up in South Africa, where she began her undergraduate studies in statistics at age 15 at Nelson Mandela University. She then moved to the United States to complete a degree in economics at the University of Chicago. Her educational journey continued with her earning graduate degrees in mathematical statistics, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience from Duke University and NCSU.
In her professional life, Kozyrkov has made significant strides. She founded the field of Decision Intelligence at Google and serves as the Chief Decision Scientist. Over nearly a decade at Google, she has trained over 20,000 Googlers in data-driven decision-making and AI and has assisted over 500 projects in implementing decision intelligence best practices. Before her current role, she served in Google’s Office of the CTO as Chief Data Scientist. The rest of her 20 years of experience was split between consulting, data science, lecturing, and academia.
Early in her career, Kozyrkov started taking a decision-oriented approach to her work wherever possible. She saw the incredible boost that incorporating wisdom from the social and managerial sciences can bring to applied data science. She wanted to break down the barriers between disciplines and create more synergy. “At Google, I had the benefit of an extremely collaborative environment that encouraged me to share what I knew so others could build on it. We didn’t have a name for it when we started, but eventually, this approach to applied data science that incorporates the social and managerial sciences would become known to us at Google as Decision Intelligence. Now that I’m with Google Cloud, my mission is to help the whole world make their data even more useful and to share these ideas so everyone can benefit,” says Kozyrkov.
Kozyrkov uses a compelling analogy to illustrate the potential dangers of this newfound power. “When we enlarge ourselves with technology,” she says, “we make it easier to step on the people around us.” She likens it to driving: when people move at a few miles an hour, their lack of coordination doesn’t cause much harm. But if they’re suddenly given Formula One cars in a crowded area, it’s crucial to assess their skills before they hit the gas pedal. In this analogy, AI is the unprecedented accelerator.
During her nearly 10-year tenure at Google, Kozyrkov has become the ultimate advisor and thought leader, helping leaders optimize their biggest decisions. Her mission is clear: to build new a calibre of AI leader, one who understands the power and potential of their decisions and uses that knowledge responsibly.
The Barriers to Implementing Data- backed Decisions by Organizations
In the world of data science, Kozyrkov stands as a beacon of innovation. Despite the high demand for AI and data scientists, many organizations fail to effectively use data to inform decision-making. According to Kozyrkov, this issue stems from a lack of decision skills rather than data skills. Decision-makers frequently fail to understand their roles and responsibilities when collaborating with data professionals.
Kozyrkov observes that most decision-makers often overlook the homework they need to do before initiating a project. This lack of preparation often leads to project failure even before it begins. Unfortunately, few possess the skills to perform their role effectively. When they’re only affecting themselves, the situation is merely lamentable. However, when AI comes into the picture, the potential blast radius of their decision-making ignorance becomes worryingly large.
Kozyrkov’s founding of Decision Intelligence represents a significant step towards addressing these issues. It’s a discipline that brings together the best of applied data science, social science, and managerial science into a unified field that helps people use data to improve their lives, their businesses, and the world around them. It’s a vital science for the AI era, covering the skills needed to lead AI projects responsibly and design objectives, metrics, and safety-nets for automation at scale. It’s time to embrace Decision Intelligence and unlock its potential in shaping a better future.
Final Word
Kozyrkov’s pioneering work in Decision Intelligence is a testament to her commitment to enhancing human decision-making. Her mission to build a new breed of AI leader is not just about harnessing the power of AI and machine learning, but also about ensuring that these tools are used responsibly and ethically. As we continue to navigate an increasingly AI-driven world, the importance of decision-making skills cannot be overstated.
Kozyrkov’s work serves as a reminder that the power of AI is in its potential to amplify human decision-making. By integrating the best of applied data science, social science, and managerial science, Decision Intelligence offers a comprehensive approach to decision-making that is urgently needed in today’s world.
As we look to the future, it’s clear that the impact of Decision Intelligence will be far-reaching. From shaping the leaders of tomorrow to influencing the decisions we make on a daily basis, this new discipline has the potential to transform our lives in profound ways. It’s time to embrace Decision Intelligence and the opportunities it presents. As Kozyrkov herself puts it, “If we teach people how to build magic lamps, we must also teach the skills for wishing responsibly.”
In the end, the goal is not just to build powerful tools, but to ensure that we have the wisdom and the skills to use them effectively. With leaders like Kozyrkov at the helm, there’s no doubt that we’re moving in the right direction.
