Questions for Hyejin Young on "The Geometrics of the Adjacent Possible"

[jamesallenevans]

Pose your questions here for 2/8 talk by Hyejin Youn about her paper Geometrics of the Adjacent Possibles: Harvesting Values at the Curvature. Novelty is not a sufficient condition for innovation. For new ideas and products to succeed, they must be integrated into the shared knowledge and pre-existing systems. Here, we develop a quantitative framework to assess how past innovations curve search trajectories in the space of adjacent possible, illustrating how the past determines the future. When certain technological building blocks begin to coalesce into noticeable clusters upon frequent combinations, a set of these typical combinations acts as nascent stages of domains in information infrastructure, thus wielding power on the next innovation. The power of typically bends the trajectory of exploration towards typical combinations much like a gravitational force on new ideas and actions. We demonstrate these curvatures are not merely abstract concepts but empirically measurable quantities. For instance, Edison’s inventions are seen in areas of high curvature, echoing his well-known design strategy of leveraging institutionalized domains, while Tesla’s inventions are predominantly located in low-curvature areas, indicating exploration of new territories. This curvature represents the power of typicality from accumulated pasts, guiding search toward well-established, paved paths by compressing the exploration space around the accumulated knowledge repertoire of proven solutions, explaining why the most commercially successful inventions often emerge at the fringes of established domains. Our further analysis of the entire U.S. patents reveals that innovations in areas of high curvature are indeed more likely to harvest monetary values. Our framework provides insights into how new ideas interact with and evolve alongside established structures in both institutional and collective understanding, illustrating the complex dialogue between innovation and convention. Here is the complete paper.

[MaoYingrong]

Thanks for sharing this study! I'm wondering whether there is a general/universal way of measuring curvature so that this framework can be applied to other fields, such as social sciences (as mentioned above by other questions), or to predict innovation in other areas.

[essicaJ]

Thanks for sharing your research! I am wondering if we could predict what innovation would have high curvature in the future, and what factors caused this change. Thank you!

[ymuhannah]

Your paper suggests that areas of high curvature represent well-trodden paths that might inhibit disruptive innovation. In your view, what strategies could innovators adopt to balance the benefits of high-curvature areas with the need for innovation?

[KekunH]

Hi Professor Youn, my question is How does the geometric aspect of our study, inspired by sources examining the relationship between high-curvature and low-curvature areas, inform strategic decisions of firms in fostering long-term sustainable innovation, including considerations of R&D investment and pursuit of breakthrough innovations versus incremental improvements?

[yiang-li]

Thanks for the presentation, my question is how can this framework be applied to guide the development and integration of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence or quantum computing, into existing systems and knowledge structures?

[CanaanCui]

Thanks for sharing! I would like to ask how can we encourage more innovation in new, unexplored areas, even though inventions in well-known areas usually make more money? And how can we spot and support these new ideas?

[xinyi030]

Thanks for sharing, Professor. In your study, you illustrate how past innovations influence future technological trajectories through the concept of curvature in the space of adjacent possibles. Given the empirical evidence that innovations in areas of high curvature are more likely to harvest monetary values, how do you envision this framework being applied by policymakers or organizations to strategically guide research and development efforts towards areas of potential high impact and commercial success?

[yunshu3112]

Hi Hyejin, I enjoyed reading your work. I am excited about the quantitative measurement you developed and I wonder how does this idea potentially relate to the economics literature of technology agglomeration.

[Daniela-miaut]

I am interested in the situation in foundational researches. Will their mechanism for innovation be different than practical researches?

[Huiyu1999]

Thanks for sharing! The research is very inspiring. My question is how might the concept of curvature be applied to social innovation and the development of solutions to societal issues? How can policy makers and educational institutions foster environments that encourage exploration in both high and low curvature areas?

[rammkripa]

Thank you for sharing your work! I was wondering how this framework could be used to explain cross-domain innovation, for example, taking a typical combination of elements in one domain and drawing analogies to elements in another domain, where that combination is not as typical?

[YucanLei]

Thank you for sharing. I was wondering if the factors of innovations in curvature has anything to do with potentially the cultural factors? Maybe culture can also play a role in the area and novelty?

[xiaowei-v]

The topic is interesting! I wonder how the Edison case study was chosen and incorporated into the whole framework. Is there anything special of why we would like certain empirical analysis?

[Yuxin-Ji]

Hi Professor Young, Thanks for sharing this cool research! I like your emphasis on how the power of typicality and convention is just as important as the power of newness and novelty. I am curious on whether different fields and domains may have different definition and understanding towards "typicality" and "novelty". Especially as research became more interdisciplinary, "novelty" in a domain might be considered as "typicality" in the other.

[ChrisZhang6888]

Hi Professor Young, thank you so much for sharing and it is a truly amazing paper. I am wondering that how can innovators leverage the notion of curvature to navigate established pathways while fostering disruptive innovation to address societal issues effectively?

[kangyic]

Thanks a lot for sharing this interesting idea of quantifying connections. My question is how does the analogy of curvature in mathematics and general relativity help in understanding the exploration trajectories and spatial distortions in innovation spaces?

[yuy123337]

Hi Professor Young, thank you so much for sharing your research. This topic is completely new to me, and I'm fascinated by its abstract nature. I am curious about factors that are considered in determining the contrast level of codes within patents. How do they contribute to evaluating the novelty of inventions?

[WonjeYun]

Thank you for the presentation. I wonder if there are significant difference in curvature depending on the number of patents published each year? Would there be significant differences between past and present?

[Dededon]

Thank you for your sharing! I'm interested in how the curvature could help us understand questions in cultural sociology

[bhavyapan]

Thank you for sharing your work with us! I'm wondering the implications of these findings on aspects of the innovation economy such as cross-ownership of R&D and innovation for social welfare...(I'm thinking technology adaptation for challenges such as climate change and so on).

[adamvvu]

Thanks for sharing your research! There is an interesting finding in the paper that areas of high curvature tend to be more likely to be profitable. However since Edison's inventions were motivated by practical widespread adoption (which tends to be economically beneficial), couldn't it be possible instead that areas with high potential profit simply attract more innovation and tend to create high curvature?

[mingxuan-he]

Hi Dr Young, thanks for the great research! In your research, how do you address the potential bias towards more documented or commercialized innovations, such as those by Edison/Tesla, versus those that might be less documented but equally impactful in shaping the trajectory of technological exploration?

[HongzhangXie]

Dear Professor Young,

Thank you very much for sharing your groundbreaking work. I apologize for forgetting to post my question on GitHub last week. The research has found a significant positive correlation between the curvature index and the market value of patents. I think that inventions characterized by a low curvature index could come to two distinct outcomes: one where the field of innovation finds widespread application later on, exemplified by technologies such as alternating current and radio, and another where the field is ultimately disregarded by the mainstream market, as seen with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Is it possible that the low market value is due to the large number of low curvature inventions in the latter scenario? If we were to exclusively consider patents that had a low curvature index at the time of their invention but eventually gained mainstream acceptance, might they exhibit a market value surpassing those with a high curvature index?

[schen115]

Thanks for your sharing! I was wondering how do the empirical measurements of curvature in innovation trajectories contribute to our understanding of the dynamics between past knowledge accumulation and future innovation in various technological domains? (sorry for posting my question late:(

[66Alexa]

Hi Professor,

Thanks for sharing your work with us. Geometrics concepts are new topic to me, and I find your opinions interesting and useful. My question is: How do you measure the "power of typicality" from accumulated pasts, and what are the key indicators of high vs. low curvature areas in technological domains?

[icarlous]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this paper as it elucidated the unveiling of the innovation process. The comparisons between Edison and Tesla were particularly insightful, providing clear explanations of the methodology and results. The distinction between creating and capturing value was a noteworthy point that grabbed my attention. Does the framework propose a trade-off between leveraging existing knowledge for immediate success and venturing into unexplored territories for potentially disruptive innovations? How can individuals and organizations skillfully navigate this trade-off?

[boki2924]

The text discusses how certain technological building blocks coalesce into noticeable clusters upon frequent combinations. Can you provide examples or illustrations of such clusters and how they contribute to shaping innovation trajectories?

[yiang-li]

Thanks for the talk! Could you elaborate on the theoretical foundations of the quantitative framework developed to assess the curvature of innovation spaces? How does this framework integrate or diverge from existing theories of innovation and technological evolution?

[cty20010831]

Thanks for sharing! I am wondering how does the quantitative framework developed in your study, which assesses the curvature of past innovations in the space of adjacent possibilities, challenge or complement traditional theories of innovation diffusion? Specifically, how does this framework account for the role of institutional and systemic integration in determining the commercial success or failure of new ideas and technologies?

[Yunrui11]

Your framework on the curvature of innovation trajectories and the power of typicality is intriguing. Could you elaborate on how this concept could be applied in practice, perhaps in the context of fostering innovation within organizations or guiding research and development efforts?

[Adrianne-Li]

Great sharing! Thank you professor! Your paper on "Geometrics of the Adjacent Possibles" presents a fascinating framework for understanding innovation pathways. I'm curious about how this concept can guide companies in identifying areas ripe for high-value innovation. Can this framework help predict where the next significant industry shifts might occur, and how can technology leaders use it to balance new exploration with leveraging established knowledge?

[erikaz1]

Thank you for this fascinating talk! To what extent do these findings apply outside of heavily technical ( technological invention) fields? For instance, the world of ideas and the dispersion of ways of thinking?

[YutaoHeOVO]

Thank you for this interesting talk and also thank you so much for your answer to this question during the workshop. (Just realized I did not post my question here.)

I think when we talk about the trajectory of innovation, we need to think of whether these innovations serve as complement or substitutions with each other. If we think of a production function of innovation: we use innovations as input and we use influence as the output, the number of factor categories (how many steps/products we have invented) and the relationship between the steps (are they substitutes or complement to each other) are equally important. This story would be more intuitive that Edison created a whole set of inventions that are complementary to each other whereas Tesla created a bunch of isolated products. And this endogenizes the length of the trajectory, making it having more curvature. And could we extend the discussion of your work into the discussion of substitution or complement?

[MaxwelllzZ]

Thank you for sharing, Prof. Young.

In your research on the impact of past innovations on future trajectories, could you discuss how the concept of 'curvature' in innovation spaces might guide new technologies towards potential commercial success, particularly in dynamic fields like technology?

[Kevin2330]

Dear Professor Young,

Considering your research, what advice would you offer to innovators and entrepreneurs about navigating areas of high versus low curvature? How should they balance the exploration of new territories with the leveraging of established domains? Thank you.

[ZenthiaSong]

Great sharing! Could you elaborate on how your quantitative framework helps predict the potential success of innovations based on their position in high or low curvature areas within the space of adjacent possibles? What are the next steps in your research? Are there particular aspects of the geometric framework that you plan to explore further or refine?