we are
Sonder
Research
STRATEGY
DESIGN
EDUCATION
because digital transformation is
actually about people

Sonder Studio specializes in activating the collective intelligence of humans and machines in a complex world.

Through our research, strategy, design, and education services, we help organizations activate the collective intelligence of humans and AI, co-create solutions to complex problems, craft data-driven decision making practices, and design AI products and services.

Let’s explore how we can help you achieve your goals

Collective Intelligence Research | AI Strategy Consulting | Complex Problem Solving | Product and Service Design | Corporate Learning and Development | Educational Workshops

1

Make Better Decisions
Learning and development programs and change management for data-driven decision-making

2

Solve Better Problems
Complex problem-solving consulting, emergent design, learning and development programs

3

Design Better Intelligence
AI strategy consulting, product and service design, and educational workshops

Make Better Decisions

Data promised to make decisions easier but data is no guarantee of a good decision. The complexity and scale of modern data defies our evolved intuitions. This has the effect of putting intuition and data in conflict with one another when, instead, people need to develop better intuition for working with data. Through our book, learning and development programs, and decision strategy consulting, we help your organization build the skills you need to succeed in the age of data, algorithms, and AI.

How to stop making bad decisions and start making better decisions.

Solve Better Problems

Digital transformation makes more problems complex but organizations continue to try to solve these complex problems with traditional problem-solving practices. Through our complex problem-solving workshops, learning and development programs, and complexity strategy consulting, we help you develop the skills to step through complex problems by exploring data and asking better questions.

How to solve better problems in the complex, digital age.

Design Better Intelligence

Humans are fantastic and flawed. Our weaknesses can be compensated by machines’ strengths. Through our AI strategy consulting and co-creation design sprints, we help you make use of human-machine complementarity by designing better intelligence for both humans and machines.

How to design strong cultures in the digital age.

Helen and Dave have a unique ability to describe what it means to be human in the age of AI. They prompt an audience to think beyond the technology and to consider how technology can be both humanizing and dehumanizing. They are masters in translating complex issues into compelling, relatable stories, and theirs was the first presentation about AI that reassured me that, yes, we can do this, a beautiful future is possible with AI.

Tim Leberecht, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, House of Beautiful Business

Featured Insights

Research and insights on the collective intelligence of humans and machines in complex systems

Screenshot showing text conversation with GPT-4

Research brief: OpenAI has demonstrated GPT-4. Here’s our take.

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Person sitting chair looking with confusion at three robots

Want to make ChatGPT work for you? Aim for increasing the collective intelligence.

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Illustration of two robots sitting at desks typing on old typewriters

Three Reasons You Should Care About ChatGPT (If You Don’t Already)

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Person drawing steampunk style engineering drawings on a wall

How to define a problem or decision

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Man standing in front of screen with data charts and graphs

Why data makes decisions harder

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“The incredible workshop session led by Sonder Studio at the 2020 Talent Summit was not only thought provoking, engaging, and innovative, but came with practical takeaways. Feedback on the workshop from summit attendees was excellent. The Edwards knocked it out of the park!“

Todd Nell, Director, State of Oregon Workforce and Talent Development Board

“The incredible workshop session led by Sonder Studio at the 2020 Talent Summit was not only thought provoking, engaging, and innovative, but came with practical takeaways. Feedback on the workshop from summit attendees was excellent. The Edwards knocked it out of the park!“

Todd Nell, Director, State of Oregon Workforce and Talent Development Board

“Helen and Dave were great workshop facilitators and our diverse group—from AI novices to experts—was able to learn valuable AI insights and create new ideas for ethical AI in education.”

Taylor Bohn, Partnerships, National Head Start Association

“Helen and Dave delivered a brilliant session for our 500-person advertising team at The New York Times. For businesses not inherently rooted in technology, there is perhaps no phenomena as alluring in its potential, inevitable in its advance and utterly terrifying by virtue of its technical and moral complexity as artificial intelligence. Dave and Helen delivered a uniquely engaging session that addressed this exact complexity and everyone came away from the workshop more optimistic about the role AI will play in their business moving forward.“

Zazie Pence, Talent and Culture, The New York Times

“Helen and Dave are two of the most fascinating human beings I’ve crossed paths with in this industry and are well worth following.”

Josh Lovejoy, Design, Google

“I have been involved in executive development and digital transformation for a number of years and can safely say that Helen and Dave's ability to make AI simple and accessible is outstanding. They break down technical barriers so executives can understand new strategic opportunities and the extent to which machines will change people and the way we work.”

Paulo Pisano, Chief People Officer, Galp

“Helen and Dave have a unique ability to describe what it means to be human in the age of AI. They prompt an audience to think beyond the technology and to consider how technology can be both humanizing and dehumanizing. They are masters in translating complex issues into compelling, relatable stories, and theirs was the first presentation about AI that reassured me that, yes, we can do this, a beautiful future is possible with AI.”

Tim Leberecht, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, House of Beautiful Business

“Helen and Dave have a unique understanding of AI technology, its business opportunities and its effect on people and society. They have a knack for pulling disparate pieces together in a way that helps people understand the bigger picture.”

Kevin Delaney, Co-President and Editor-in-Chief, Quartz

Research brief: OpenAI has demonstrated GPT-4. Here’s our take.

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Unlocking the benefits of data-driven decision making

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How to get your decision making unstuck

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Case study: Company X knows technology needs to be human

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Case study: Helping Company X build more responsible AI

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Want to make ChatGPT work for you? Aim for increasing the collective intelligence.

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Case study: Helping leaders at Company X use data and AI for good

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How to make better leadership decisions

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Case study: Helping People at Company X Better Solve Complex Problems

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Three Reasons You Should Care About ChatGPT (If You Don’t Already)

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Case study: Building A Data-Driven Decision-Making Culture At Company X

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Case study: R/GA is Even More Creative with Inspirational, Inclusive Design

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Case study: AI-Readiness is an Imperative at The New York Times

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Case study: Developing an AI-Ready Workforce for the State of Oregon

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How to make better creative decisions

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Case study: Designing an AI-powered knowledge management system

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Case study: Designing an AI-powered sports app

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How to define a problem or decision

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How to make better happiness decisions

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Case study: Designing a data portal for the venture capital industry

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Why data makes decisions harder

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Ethical AI Whitepaper

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AI recruitment toolkit

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AI Is Changing Strategy, Competition And Our Time

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AI should account for what humans want

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AI that is too fast will discourage people

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How to stay creative in the data age

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How to think about intuition in the data age

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How to design a data culture in two steps

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How to get the most from data— use it to update your intuition

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How to design culture in the age of AI

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How to build AI that humans want

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How to design human-centered, not human futures, AI

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How to map human and machine roles

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AI’s natural language frontier—context is king but just how big will models get?

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Why all AI design should include power mapping

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The Paradox Of Personalization. How AI and personal agency conflict

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How to think about personalization and not over-personalize

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How giving yourself up to AI is an existential problem

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If we want to stop human downgrading, we need a new paradigm for AI

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How to make ethical AI without stymying technologists

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How to know if AI should automate or augment

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The five components of AI best practice are about people

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How to know if AI is the right solution

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The psychological phenomenon that every AI product designer needs to understand

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This is how people like machines to explain themselves

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If an AI assistant disappoints, people give up

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People like advice from AI

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Design more valuable AI by understanding how humans think

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Is AI a solution looking for a problem?

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Why human-centered AI design matters

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Human-centered AI for product managers and innovators

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Sonder Creations

Decision Making Workshop Book
Decision Making Workshop Book
Decision Making Workshop Book

Helping you achieve your goals

If these opportunities could unlock potential in your business, reach out and tell us your story.

What if...

You could increase financial benefits from investment in AI and big data?

Your entire team knew how and when to use data in decision-making?

You could create new customer services that use AI in ways that would delight your customers?

You could interpret, visualize and tell stories with data?

Let’s connect!

Our Clients