ComplexChaos thinks AI can help people find common ground

Building consensus in a democracy has never been easy — and many critics argue that technology has made it even harder. But ComplexChaos, a new AI startup, believes artificial intelligence could do the opposite: help people understand one another and find common ground.

“I had an a-ha moment one day when I realized people are asking AI to explain something like they’re five years old,” said Tomy Lorsch, co-founder and CEO of ComplexChaos, in an interview with TechCrunch. “What if we use it as a facilitator to help people understand each other and find common ground?”

Lorsch and co-founder Maya Ben Dror are developing tools designed to help groups reach consensus faster, whether in policy discussions, business settings, or global negotiations. One of their first test cases involved climate talks, although the founders say their approach could be applied across a wide range of issues.

From Collaboration to Cooperation

“Everyone is building software for collaboration — like Slack, Google Docs, whatever,” Lorsch explained. “Cooperation is a different piece.”

Traditional consensus-building requires trained human facilitators, a process that can be slow and logistically complex, especially when participants are spread across different time zones or locations. ComplexChaos aims to utilise AI to expedite processes by delivering real-time summaries, prompts, and insights that facilitate more efficient alignment and decision-making.

Inspired by Google’s “Habermas Machine”

Lorsch said he was inspired by Google’s experimental Habermas Machine, an AI model designed to generate group consensus statements that reflect both majority and minority views.

“This is basically an AI that generates group consensus statements where people feel represented by both majority and minority points of view,” he said.

ComplexChaos integrates elements of the Habermas Machine with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, using them to generate discussion questions, define goals, and summarise lengthy documents during negotiations or meetings.

Real-World Trial: Climate Negotiations

The startup recently tested its tool during climate negotiation preparations for young delegates from nine African nations at a United Nations campus in Bonn, Germany.

The platform helped participants reach an internal consensus before entering broader negotiations with other groups. “Blocs are usually the reason why negotiations have to stop,” Ben Dror explained. “The bloc has to come out, renegotiate, reposition, and then go back in. And that creates a lot of friction.”

According to the company, participants in the Bonn trial reported a 60% reduction in coordination time, and 91% stated that the tool helped them see perspectives they might have otherwise overlooked.

Beyond Policy: Corporate Applications

While climate talks remain a key focus, ComplexChaos is also marketing its cooperation tool to corporations and consultancies.

“Strategic planning by AI is basically the same problem,” Lorsch said. “The annual strategic planning process of most companies takes about three months with back-and-forth negotiations across time zones, teams, and management layers.”

By automating and facilitating these exchanges, ComplexChaos aims to reduce decision cycles and enhance understanding in both political and corporate contexts.

A Broader Vision for AI and Consensus

Ultimately, Lorsch and Ben Dror believe that AI could play a vital role in tackling complex global challenges.

“If AI can shorten these processes, simplify them, then we’d be so much better off — not just for climate, but for sustainability and any big challenge that we’re facing,” Ben Dror said.