United We Transform: An Ai-fueled Experiment in Connectivity
United We Transform, a unique workshop fueled by Ai, hosted over 1,000 cross-sector thought leaders to develop and lead Minnesota’s future at St. Paul’s RiverCentre on May 21. The attendance alone at the largest turnout of the Twin Cities business community at an event of this kind, a testament to the power of the deep and connected networks that already exist in Minnesota. Networks that were apparently ready to be trusted and activated.
People said yes to this wildly new format and experience because their peers and leaders in various industries were going, and Ai curiosity got the best of them. The UWT concept took Ai uncertainty for some and paired it with the comfort and reassurance that others in their network would also take a leap and show up for what UWT termed The Great Minnesota Experiment (a play on The Minnesota State Fair’s The Great Minnesota Get Together).
Nothing edible was on a stick, but folks did walk the vast RiverCentre floor with an 8.5x11” one sheet strung around the neck with yarn, with their personalized QR code for the event and handwritten fill-in-the-blank data “I am passionate about….” “I’m really good at…” “My biggest challenge is…” In small groups, the up-close read of sign data shaped more authentic interactions before closing the conversation in mobile mode to scan data and connect in the event platform.
The flow, movement, and interactions of the four-hour workshop from 8:30A-12:30P, were guided by hosts Brandon Klein, Collaborative Ai partner and theDifference consulting partner; and Gia Vitali, Vice President, Engagement & External Affairs at Collaboration.Ai. Brandon took to the heightened stage at center at various breakpoints to instruct workshop attendees how to navigate to their next “meetup.” None of the traditional lavish event décor from booths to balloon walls necessary, wayfinding tools included colored and numbered floor stickers with QR codes, and large screens with the details of the currently running activity. The segments aligned with themes of healthcare, etc. orange, purple, green, pink, blue… etc.
Everyone’s An Expert
Three of the day’s segments included smaller group gatherings, dubbed Next Generation (don’t call them) Panel Discussions. This simply meant that everyone could and should be the expert in their small group, fostering more engagement and problem-solving by its very nature. Attendees were directed to themes, but could choose their own adventure in deciding what small group to join for two of the segments. In the final segment, Ai had generated small groups based on information about individuals it found online in platforms like LinkedIn.
Resoundingly, attendees seemed to get the most out of the workshop themes or self-selecting versus the Ai-suggested pairings. In my experience and polling others post workshop, the intersectionality of problem-solving and ideas bubbled up more quickly and in a meaningful way in self-select or identifying with a theme like healthcare, over the Ai-suggested groups. I met my best contacts of the morning in a themed group. In short order we found commonality around topics from substance misuse to homelessness to domestic violence. We could see how leaning into each other’s expertise could provide untapped and valued perspectives and broaden work we could do together. This core experience provided by UWT felt unique, cross-collaborative, and visionary – just as the workshop had intended.
In the Ai-suggested group, I heard many surmise my experience: it was time-consuming work to uncover why Ai brought us together. In my small group of eight, we were all women and I already had two individuals in my network. Sure, we still uncovered commonalities, but there was a general consensus that actions to do more or collaborate in solving a problem were more obscure.
Experimental in Nature
Throughout the morning, Brandon reiterated the experimental nature of this gathering and that we’re just at the beginning, setting the stage for visioning the state’s economic future. It’s a bold objective, for sure. One that’s ongoing for years to come and in good hands based on innovation and successes in the collaborative past of this particular group, Collaboration.Ai supported by The U.S. Department of the Air Force’s Digital Transformation Office.
The workshop experience also included the UWT team intro’ing and hyping up three short shares -- or insight blasts -- from leaders including Brian E. A. “Beam” Maue, PhD, author of The Experiment that Succeeded; Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey; and Congresswoman Betty McCollum, U.S. representative for Minnesota's 4th congressional district. These blasts provided attendees inspiration in a story-based way, and a break from “being on” as an expert and engaged participant in small groups. (Some of us introverts greatly welcomed this!) Insights infused included the idea of laughter lending a more creative approach, saying “yes and…”, seeking what’s possible via experimentation because it can lead to success, and understanding that Ai is not going to replace relationships formed at this workshop, but perhaps it will accelerate and enhance them.
As the workshop wrapped, anecdotal feedback I gathered was that this was indeed an ambitious experiment. Attendees appreciated UWT’s verbal notes on the experimental nature of the workshop, noting that Ai does not always get things right or within context. Those who understood the framework as uncommon in many current professional and networking settings and events, and brought openness to their experience within the workshop, found problem-solving gems and connections. For many, the scale and required out-of-the box format may have felt overwhelming. Others mentioned it was easy to see people they already knew and comfortably fall into conversation with their existing network. All notes for future experiments and workshops to help address the intentionality and human experience before and during the engagement.
Ai, Technology and Human Intersection
The technology worked quite well for a first foray into in-person and Ai-generated data merging. The exercise in pairs, for example, showcased UWT mobile platform’s vocally recorded “ask” and “offer” features. Right on the spot, after learning about someone and any alignment, attendees could record an ask (what specific expertise /resources do you need to radically improve the things you care about (work/life?), and record an offer (what specific skills /resources you can offer to radically improve our MN community?).
The UWT team captured data real-time during the workshop. Post-event they can assess where people ran into access issues or barriers (my phone’s QR code reader wouldn’t scan, so I had to download an app), and if people understood and succeeded in engaging with the platform, for example scanning the sticker floor QR code once you arrived in a small group discussion. There was also the question of transitioning from in-platform conversations to social media tools like LinkedIn to solidify a contact, ask, or offer. Navigating the integration from in-person to workshop tech to online action (ie. LinkedIn, email), was largely a personal preference for attendees.
Bold and Brave
Between conversational sessions, music pumped up the cavernous RiverCentre and amplified the energy of connection. The UWT, 40 members strong, were easily findable in their yellow tees and presented a friendly, high-energy vibe. I witnessed their “yes and “culture leading up to the workshop, where ideas like “ducking” (placing sweet little yellow duckies with a UWT workshop promo tag on vehicles) were born of. To experiment boldly, one needs to be brave. United We Transform executed on this experiment, making a significant degree of foundational work in Minnesota. We’ll all be waiting for an Ai-generated message to tag us on next steps and loop us into action!
--- Event recap provided by Jen Gilhoi of Sparktrack, who covers events so event hosts and attendees can continue the event inspiration beyond the event itself. Find her on LinkedIn @jengilhoi or online at sparktrack.com. The summary captures the spirit of sharing and the themes of the event in a quick or longer form digestible way so that attendees can refer to it and take action; it also allows the host to archive what was shared and build on that for future events and use in marketing promotions.
