To swarm or not to swarm is about cohesion vs resilience.

· Bits and Bobs 9/22/25
  • To swarm or not to swarm is about cohesion vs resilience.
    • Swarms can be enormously adaptive systems.
      • They require limited coordination but can have powerful emergent results.
    • Top-down approaches give cohesive results.
      • All of the actions add up to more than the sum of their parts because they are all the part of something larger.
    • Bottom-up approaches give resilience.
      • All of the actions add up to more than the sum of their parts because as long as one actor randomly covers an option, the entire swarm is covered.
    • The swarm approach works well if no individual agent in the collective can have a downside that ruins it for everyone.
    • If one group cutting corners could harm everyone, then you need cohesion more than resilience.

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