A new startup called ComplexChaos believes artificial intelligence can do more than just automate tasks or generate text—it can help people find common ground on critical issues, from climate change to corporate strategy.
Founded by Tomy Lorsch and Maya Ben Dror, the company has built an AI tool to find common ground that speeds up negotiations, fosters cooperation, and helps participants better understand opposing perspectives.
The Idea Behind ComplexChaos
“I realized people were already asking AI to explain things simply, like to a five-year-old,” Lorsch told TechCrunch. “So why not use AI to help people understand each other and reach consensus?”
Unlike collaboration tools such as Slack or Google Docs, ComplexChaos focuses on cooperation, not just communication. Traditionally, trained facilitators help groups reach consensus, but this process slows down when people work across time zones or complex organizational layers.
How the AI Tool Works
ComplexChaos combines Google’s Habermas Machine—an AI designed to generate consensus statements representing both majority and minority opinions—with OpenAI’s ChatGPT to create a powerful negotiation assistant.
The tool helps:
- Generate discussion questions
- Summarize long documents
- Suggest goals for conversations
- Provide real-time consensus-building support
During a pilot at a United Nations campus in Bonn, delegates from nine African nations used the tool to prepare for climate negotiations.
The results were striking:
- 60% reduction in coordination time
- 91% of participants said it helped them understand perspectives they would have otherwise missed
Beyond Climate Talks: Corporate and Strategic Uses
ComplexChaos also sees potential in corporate strategy planning, where months-long negotiations often stretch across time zones and departments.
“Strategic planning is essentially the same challenge,” Lorsch explained. “AI can cut through delays and help organizations make decisions faster.”
Still, both co-founders are especially passionate about climate negotiations. “If AI can shorten these processes and help find consensus on big challenges, it could be transformative,” Ben Dror said.
AI for Building Consensus in a Polarized World
As political polarization and global crises escalate, tools like ComplexChaos’ AI tool to find common ground could help bridge divides and accelerate decision-making—whether for climate action, corporate strategy, or global diplomacy.
With early results showing promise, ComplexChaos aims to scale its technology for governments, NGOs, and enterprises worldwide.