In my practice | Julian Stdd learning blog

I just delivered two workshops back to back: the first prototype of ‘AI Strategic“ working, then revisiting today ”Failure – Complexity – Control ‘, which is based on my book “To the Moon and Back: Leadership reflections of Apollo”. I really enjoyed both: for what went well and for the things I learned along the way.

In their own way, these two areas of my work are on the edges of my practice, but with each story in history, I find my way through them. So I thought of sharing the places that this work has led to me this time.

For the strategic work of AI, which, as the first prototype, the main thing I observed in my language is that I put it more and more as the social context of AI. Or I guess you could call it AI +. Both in terms of amplification of capacity, but also of the way it undermines the foundations, or radically moves our understanding or our ability to make. I was explicit that we explored “strategic AI”, not “tactical AI”, but in reality, it is quite difficult to avoid the latter completely.

As is often the case with a first prototype, I talked too much, and (as part of my learning) remained stuck with unnecessarily complicated language. I am always clear that simplicity comes out on the other side of complexity. I have to get lost before I can find myself. But in the process, I probably also get lost of other people.

With work on failure, on the other hand, I now feel enough confident with this work to leave increasing quantities of space – and today, I am very happy with the way it happened. We have created a series of artefacts, exploring our practice, and I just felt that we have taken momentum over the day.

I have varied some things from the last time: including sharing my own notes on the screen (as opposed to what I do normally, which is to simply share the drawings of this book). Anyone who saw me the current work will know that I very rarely use a PPT deck with real words. Usually, I use illustrations, and perhaps the strange word as a prompt or a context. But in a way I need my notes in this work, because I do not simply tell the story of Apollo, rather than I use it as a framework to hang a series of structured reflections, so if I lose the structure, I spoil the day.

So, overall, I feel very good: very satisfied with the two programs, the work that is below, but also satisfied with my discomfort and the fact that the two bodies of knowledge are in motion.

For me, it's important. I barely share the same work twice. My practice is held in the principles of #Workingoutloud, and therefore my obligation is to remain constantly in dialogue with my own knowledge and expressions of this knowledge in practice. It is only through this process that I feel better able to prototyper new ideas (here, in writing or by dialogue in the presentation), and to build my vocabulary around these things.

Curiously, I ended up talking to Taxi Driver on the way back: he described how he was in his taxi ten hours a day, working. But that some people think it only works when the counter works. I think my work is similar: I can't write without playing, and I can't play without writing. As I often say, I wrote twenty one books, but they each represent what I thought at one point in time. What I think now is in motion. It feels so little indulgent to write on this subject, but I find it useful to do so.