Perspectives on art, science, and technology

The published works and thoughts of Julio Mario Ottino

Today’s complex problems demand a radically new way of thinking — one in which art, technology, and science converge to expand our creativity and augment our insight. Learn how to navigate the intersections of art, technology, and science with these insightful perspectives.

What Jeff Bezos's “artificial general engineer” actually tells CEOs about AI

Why the future of AI depends less on replacing experts than on understanding how organizations actually create knowledge.

Tolstoy and the Illusion of Inevitability

Western thought repeatedly returns to the hope that contingency is an illusion.

AI: Collaborator or Substitute?

AI may be the most powerful cognitive collaborator ever created.

When the Fog Rolls In, Do Leaders Need a Map or a Compass?

Some moments call for a business plan, while others call for adaptability. Here’s how to know when to lean on one or the other.

The Hidden Cost of AI: When Teams Agree Too Fast

Why faster alignment may come at the expense of innovation.

Progression Without Progress

Why optimizing scientific workflows may undermine the evolutionary process that makes discovery possible.

ELEVATE YOUR CONFERENCE

Book Julio Ottino as a speaker and transform your next event with Nexus thinking.

The Hook Is the Problem

Why the future keeps surprising us.

When Confidence Scales Faster Than Understanding

How social media and AI reshape how we form—and trust—our beliefs.

AI Models Lose Their Shirts On Premier League Bets

Systems from Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI struggle when asked to predict scores over football season.

Why Simulation Is Not Explanation

AI systems can now simulate with remarkable fidelity. They generate text, predict outcomes, and reproduce patterns across domains. In many cases, they are not just useful—they are operationally superior.

AI is Making Bad Abstractions More Convincing

Leaders today are not short on data. If anything, they are saturated—dashboards, simulations, metrics, forecasts.

We Keep Asking AI the Wrong Question

AI is advancing rapidly in prediction—forecasting demand, generating text, anticipating behavior. The gains are real. But the framing is incomplete.

The Recipe for Innovation? An Alliance Between Art and Science.

Three tips to help organizations build bridges between creative and systematic thinkers

When Map and Compass In the Global Energy Markets Disagree

Energy markets are in turmoil. Prices are lurching, supply chains are being redrawn, and within weeks the confident forecasts will be quietly revised — and the new ones will be just as confident.

The New Central Planning

Revisiting the Central Planning Fallacy in the Age of AI

Design Thinking and Evolution

In the popular view, art is about creation, technology about invention, and science about discovery.

Creativity Across Domains

Thoughts in Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, Technology, and Art

Can Leadership & Creativity Coexist?

It is rare, but when they do remarkable things happen.

The Past Enriching the Present

Two beautiful examples of the early stages of the scientific method and the power of visual imagination.

Discover the world of nexus thinking

In this provocative and visually striking book, Julio Mario Ottino and Bruce Mau offer a guide for navigating the intersections of art, technology, and science.