Have you ever taken a minute in your workday—assuming you’re not working from home :)—to look around and notice how everyone seems to know their role within what the organization is aiming to achieve?
It almost feels like magic: a random group of people becomes a well-oiled machine, all working together toward a shared goal.
When working together, we can move mountains, much like a school of small fish. Each fish is an individual, but they swim together in perfect harmony, creating the appearance of a larger fish for protection.
How is that possible? How can individuals create a “group mind” where everyone understands the collective goal, their individual role within it, and has all the information needed to function in harmony with the larger team?
This phenomenon is what we call collective consciousness—a shared understanding of ideas, concepts, and beliefs that enables individuals to work together within a larger group to achieve a common goal.
However, when it comes to AI, shaping collective consciousness through an AI strategy alone is not enough. AI’s unique nature requires more than shaping a collective understanding.
Let’s explore why.
AI Strategy and Collective Consciousness
If you want a group of random people to work together effectively, you need to create a shared mind—a common understanding of beliefs, values, and knowledge about what the organization stands for and what it aims to achieve. This collective understanding aligns actions and creates a unified, effective team.
AI strategy is the organization’s way of shaping this group mindset when it comes to AI. I
t is about writing a new chapter in the organization’s collective understanding, providing information on what AI is, what role it will play, and what success with AI looks like.
However, AI is not merely a tool; it’s a thinking entity, programmed by humans yet autonomous in its processing. AI connects with people on the most individual level—through thoughts.
It’s a conversation between two thinking minds: one human and one technical. Since thoughts are personal, even if actions look the same outwardly, differing perspectives lead to different approaches in carrying out those actions.
Imagine working with two human individuals with entirely different thought processes; you’d end up with different results based on their perspectives.
This realization changes the game because, unlike previous technologies, AI operates on thought and decision-making, similar to human cognition. This is a deeply personal process that isn’t easily shaped by collective understanding, but it influences collective performance.
The Missing Piece: Individual Perspectives in Collective Consciousness
In any organization, AI functions as a blend of two forces: the collective consciousness represented by the overarching AI strategy and the unique individual perspectives employees bring.
This mix of individual and collective viewpoints shapes how AI is applied, trained, and understood within an organization.
The challenge is that individual beliefs and understandings about AI’s role and potential can vary widely—and these personal beliefs cannot be fully controlled or standardized through a top-down strategy alone.
When people use AI, they project their thoughts, beliefs, and feelings onto it. For instance, an employee who believes in AI’s transformative potential might use it enthusiastically and creatively, while another who is skeptical may engage cautiously or minimally. Now, imagine asking both for feedback—how different their responses would be! They both operate within the same AI strategy but cannot avoid bringing their individual beliefs and ideas about AI into play.
Example: How You Can See This in Real Life
As individuals : we all are the example
The effect of individual perspectives playing with collective consciousness is something we all experience. Think about your own thoughts and feelings about AI. You’re likely excited and engaged, but there’s probably also a level of fear or skepticism. You see this reflected in nearly every conversation or post about AI; we all tend to judge it in some way.
Judging AI means we compare it to ourselves and want to make sure we come out on top. This act of judgment is evidence of a gap between what the collective consciousness says about AI and our personal perspectives. The collective consciousness is celebrating the new future, and we humans fear the impact that change will bring, even though we may not all express it openly.
In Business: Not Using AI or Failing to Onboard AI
Business that don’t use AI or failing to onboard it are the proof of the gap between individual and collective understanding that sits in the base of these outcomes.
It’s simple to understand: AI isn’t going anywhere. It’s here to stay, becoming the new standard in business operations.
So can we really afford, as businesses, not to use it or to stop if we encounter failure?
The answer is no!
Yet, this happens because individual perspectives can sometimes overshadow the collective business vision. While the organization sees value in AI, personal perspectives may focus more on obstacles and potential failure.
Why Collective Consciousness Alone Falls Short
Traditional AI strategies assume that collective consciousness is sufficient to unify and guide the organization’s approach to AI.
While collective consciousness helps align everyone’s efforts toward a shared goal, it cannot entirely overcome individual perspectives and beliefs about AI, which influence usage at a deeper level. When companies focus exclusively on strategy without addressing the personal journey employees have with AI, they miss a key factor in their approach: the power of personal consciousness.
What’s Needed: Education and Awareness Beyond Functionality
The missing link lies in education that goes beyond technical training.
Organizations need a holistic approach that encourages employees to understand AI on both functional and personal levels, acknowledging that internal perspectives they bring to their interactions with AI, do matter.
By fostering an understanding of the broader implications of how personal perceptions influence AI, organizations can help employees move past fears and misconceptions.
Changing the conversation to one of empowerment on how AI and people connect at thoughts.
This approach aims to excite employees about the potential of creating from thoughts and the unique value AI brings to their work and the organization, viewing AI as a collaborative entity that complements, rather than undervalues, their own thinking qualities.
This approach requires engaging employees in thoughtful discussions and explorations of what AI is, what it means for them and the company, and what it could signify for the future.
Moving beyond traditional strategy to one of empowered creation, organizations must cultivate an environment where individuals feel empowered to reflect on their own perspectives and openly discuss their beliefs about AI, transforming the conversation into one that emphasizes empowerment through the creative potential of thoughts alone.
The Future of AI Integration: A Thought-Driven Journey
If AI strategy is to succeed, it must recognize that AI integration is not just a process but a thought-driven journey.
AI brings a layer of cognitive autonomy into the organization.
For this reason, AI strategy must evolve beyond structured processes and rigid frameworks. Successful onboarding requires acknowledging that beliefs and attitudes will always influence outcomes, and creating an environment that addresses this will build a more authentic, sustainable relationship with AI.
Organizations that recognize this will begin to see AI as a true partner in innovation, with both its strengths and limitations shaped by the beliefs of the people who use it. By fostering a collective consciousness that allows room for individual perspectives, companies can create an AI strategy that not only serves their goals but also aligns with the dynamic and evolving reality of their human teams.
From me:
AI is a thinking revolution, one that asks us to see thoughts as the new “actions” we take when using AI. It’s more than just technical skills; it’s about merging our thoughts with the technical abilities of our new counterpart.
By understanding collective consciousness, we see why an AI strategy alone isn’t enough to make our AI dreams come true. Personal perspectives play a crucial role, and while AI strategy can take us so far, these perspectives can’t be fully addressed within it; they need to be brought to light.
Education that emphasizes this, showing that AI involves creating from thought, will bring this understanding to the forefront. This is the starting point for businesses to provide the foundation employees need to shape their AI approach and develop beliefs that support organizational AI goals.
Only by embracing these steps can organizations foster an environment where AI and people grow, work, and achieve together. It’s a new collective agreement that acknowledges personal perspectives, which can unintentionally work against both the individual and the AI strategy within the company.
On a personal note, I believe that what isn’t discussed can’t be addressed. A courageous organization recognizes that personal perspectives and feelings, like fear, affect AI success. Rather than forcing AI use, create an open space for sharing and overcoming these fears. Support employees as they manage change, helping them understand and leverage their true, unique human value alongside AI.
To close this, I’ll remind you that I’m here to provide the information and support for any business that needs help in addressing employees’ personal perspectives on AI.
From managing training sessions to creating open discussions or offering personal mentoring—whatever you need.
I’m excited to help organizations start their AI Thinking Revolution journey, and I always, always say without fail—just wait. Once we begin, you’ll reach new levels of success with AI that you couldn’t even imagine.
Book some time, and let’s get the ball rolling.
