Deep dive into Ethelo's technology

Ethelo is a multi-attribute decision algorithm. It combines multiple decision parameters such as options, issues, criteria, constraints, influence, and fairness to develop a space of potential scenarios. Those scenarios are then evaluated and ranked according to the aggregated analysis of participants, prioritizing fairness in the distribution of satisfaction.

How Ethelo Works

Ethelo is collaboration technology designed for solving multi-factor decision problems, particularly when issues are contentious and there is a requirement for fairness.

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Ethelo Starting Guide

The Ethelo Starting Guide is intended to provide a detailed roadmap to the Ethelo decision aggregation process.

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Training Tutorial

A walk-through tour of the Ethelo platform, with explanations of key functionalities and examples.

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The structure of an Ethelo Decision

A unique decision engine

The Ethelo algorithm is computationally challenging to solve; the scenario ranking required to solve the Ethelo algorithm is an NP-Complete problem and brute force solutions can take days even on fast servers. Therefore, Ethelo uses an NLP solver developed in partnership with the University of Waterloo. The algorithm is designed to find outcomes with high average support and low variance in satisfaction among participants - a form of “optimized consensus” for large groups.

Ethelo is an extension of morphological analysis into complex multi-stakeholder decisions. It is compatible with and a complement to processes such as quadratic voting, conjoint analysis, the Monte Carlo Method and decision trees. It incorporates a novel approach to liquid democracy using networks called Liquid Trust.

Want to dive even deeper?

Read a technical summary of the Ethelo algorithm. This White Paper sets out the mathematical framework of Ethelo and explains its implementation in a process for deliberative decision-making.

Based on the Ethelo Patent: US Patent No. 9,727,883

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Read the most recent news about Ethelo's technology

Ethelo Democracy and Artificial Intelligence

Can artificial intelligence truly play a role in a functioning democracy?

John Rawls and Ethelo

Ethelo theory is based on the work of John Rawls, a 20th-century philosopher and social contract theorist. Rawls wrote about the importance of fairness in democracy.

Calculating Ethelo

The Ethelo Score measures the level of “intentional energy” that a group will bring to an option or outcome. The level of energy determines the strength of a decision; its capacity to harness the aligned intentions of participants towards action.

Ethelo Partners with University of Waterloo to Optimize Algorithm

Ethelo partnered with the University of Waterloo to optimize the Ethelo algorithm, making it faster and more efficient—so it can deliver real-time results during consultations.

The Theory Behind Ethelo

“Ethelo” is a word from ancient Greek that means “intention” or “willpower.” The theory underlying ethelo is that complex problems can be solved by identifying decisions that will focus the intentions of individuals into unified collective intention and action.

Ethelo Function Enhancements

Building upon “Calculating Ethelo,” this document discusses possible enhancements which can be made to the calculation of the Ethelo function, from both a theoretical standpoint as well as a computational one.

Ethelo Open Source Strategy

Our plan is to Open Source the Ethelo engine under an Affero Copyleft license. We will also provide an Open API to the Ethelo engine and support a community of developers interested in optimizing the Ethelo engine code.

Use Liquid Trust for Next Level Liquid Democracy

Liquid democracy is a democratic voting system that empowers participants to either vote on issues directly or to delegate their voting power to someone who has more knowledge in a particular area.

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