Collective intelligence (CI) can, at its simplest, be understood as the enhanced capacity that is created when people work together, often with the help of technology, to mobilise a wider range of information, ideas and insights.

It is increasingly being used to develop innovative solutions that can help us meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The digital commons, including thousands of standards and tools for open hardware, data, software and content, play a vital role in the development of many of the world’s most impactful collective intelligence projects. Yet, inspite of this little funding and support is provided to maintain and further develop this infrastructure.

This report by the Centre for Collective Intelligence Design at Nesta for Agence française de développement (AFD) explores the benefits of investing in the development of the collective intelligence commons – the open infrastructure for developing and scaling collective intelligence projects and how funders could do this.

Key findings

The research identifies six benefits of designing CI in the digital commons:

1. Expands the reach and impact of CI through open and interoperable data and software.
2. Enables successful CI projects to scale more quickly through adapting innovations to new contexts and need.
3. Lowers cost and increases sustainability.
4. Enables more sustainable and trustworthy CI projects.
5. Democratises innovation, making it more inclusive and helping to shift power through diverse and locally led CI projects.
6. Empowering communities with tools, data and knowledge to hold those in power to account.