Cognitive glues are shared models of relative scarcities: the economics of collective intelligence
Clinical Snapshot
PICO Framework
| P — Population | Multi-scale systems in nature and society, economic systems |
| I — Intervention | Price system as cognitive glue framework |
| C — Comparator | Other coordination mechanisms in collective intelligence systems |
| O — Outcomes | Understanding of collective intelligence emergence and coordination mechanisms |
Bottom Line
This theoretical paper proposes that economic price systems serve as a template for understanding coordination mechanisms in collective intelligence across biological and social systems. While intellectually interesting, the framework lacks empirical validation and has unclear direct applications to clinical practice. The authors argue that price systems solve coordination problems through shared models of relative scarcities, which could theoretically inform understanding of how medical teams, healthcare systems, or even biological networks coordinate decision-making. However, the highly abstract nature of the work, combined with the absence of practical implementation strategies or empirical testing, limits its immediate clinical utility. Healthcare professionals may find value in the conceptual framework for understanding system-level coordination, but should await empirical validation before considering practical applications.
Key Findings
Effect Size: Not applicable - theoretical framework
Primary Outcome: Price system identified as generic template for cognitive glues in collective intelligence
Nnt Or Sensitivity: Framework proposes universal applicability across multi-scale systems
Clinical Application
Highly theoretical with unclear practical implementation pathways Limited direct relevance to Australian healthcare practice; may inform health system design and coordination mechanisms Potentially relevant to healthcare system coordination and medical team decision-making
Abstract
Collective intelligence has emergent problem-solving capacities that are different than those of its subunits. The plethora of multi-scale systems within nature and society makes it imperative to understand the interaction policies necessary and sufficient for emergence of collective intelligences. The economy is a complex system consisting of autonomous elements at multiple scales and which exhibits adaptive problem-solving capabilities, suggesting that the economy offers an interesting, important example of collective intelligence. We identify the price system as the cognitive glue of the economy by acting as a coordinating affordance that enables members to form plans that are mutually compatible. Using the collective intelligence framework of Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere, we elaborate on various aspects of the economy that make it useful to model the economy as a collective intelligence. We argue that any cognitive glue must solve the same kind of problem that the price system solves in broadly the same way that the price system solves it, and thus the price system serves as a generic template or abstract model for all cognitive glues. Finally, we describe some research ideas that combine concepts from biology and economics in the hopes of inspiring interdisciplinary collaboration. This article is part of the theme issue 'World models in natural and artificial intelligence'.
References
- 1.Levin, M., & Lyons, B. (2026). Cognitive glues are shared models of relative scarcities: the economics of collective intelligence. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 384(2276). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2024.0528
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