The red queen effect
Move fast or fall behind in this world of AI and technology
‘Well, in our country,’ said Alice, still panting a little, ‘you’d generally get to somewhere else — if you ran very fast for a long time, as we’ve been doing.’
‘A slow sort of country!’ said the Queen. ‘Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.
If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!’
Lewis Carroll
I didn’t know about the red queen effect until recently when I read Vol 2 of the Great Mental Models (you may read the blog here). This mental model came up in the evolution (biology) section, whereby species need to keep evolving simply to survive.
It was an intriguing yet worrying concept, which can be a powerful metaphor for surviving in today’s fast-changing world of AI, technology, and innovation.
Red queen effect in the AI era
“Bees have to move very fast to stay still.”
I once observed a bird flying at the peak of Seceda (Dolomites), holding its wing very strongly. However, the gust from the valley was so strong that the bird became absolutely still in the air.
How peculiar, I thought.
Thinking back, I think I observed a red queen effect in real life. If the bird lets go of a little bit of effort, it will be blown away.
The boom of AI certainly remind us of that - standing still is falling behind. “
”Running our fastest” might not be enough for us to adapt to this continuously evolving environment.
With the accelerating pace of changes, the knowledge we gain or our competitive edges could quickly become obsolete. AI tools greatly amplify our work and productivity; our seemingly future-proof skills are quickly outdated.
Learning & the growth mindset are no longer a good to have. It is a necessity.
Lesson 1 - Keep going forward to stay relevant.
Beware of the hamster wheel: speed ≠ velocity, productivity ≠ progress
This deserves a whole article on its own. (which will come next)
To stay succinct, running faster to keep up doesn’t always mean going in the right direction. A hamster runs nonstop in the same spot—without strategic purpose or knowledge, it will likely make us exhausted and stuck, leading to more fatigue and anxiety.
The more dangerous position is thinking we’re adapting when we’re not. This is where we stay busy relying on familiar things, focusing on efficiency (and neglecting critical thinking or creativity), or purely focusing on outputs.
Speed ≠ velocity. Productivity ≠ progress.
Lesson 2 - Reflect and recalibrate. Think out of the wheel.
Are we doomed, then?
If it takes all the running we can do to keep in the same place, are we doomed to be stuck in the same place?
No.
The key is never to outrun the red queen. It is the same principle as we saw in natural evolution - evolve alongside her. Embrace change, experiment, seek growth, and adapt; those sustain a species or make one thrive in the constantly changing landscape.