In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, Jonathan Aberman, co-founder of Hupside and partner at Ruxton Ventures, argues that the key to successful AI transformation lies not in technology but in human originality. Aberman, a former dean and current visiting entrepreneur, champions a new metric called the Original Intelligence Quotient (OIQ) to quantify originality and help organizations build AI-ready teams.
Hupside’s platform, Hupchecker, evaluates how individuals generate novel ideas compared to both human and AI baselines. This addresses a critical gap: recent studies have shown that 95% of companies have not seen an ROI from AI adoption. Aberman explains that while AI offers efficiency, it generates what is likely, not unexpected, leading to homogenization. "Original insight has always been the true driver of innovation," he says, "and in an AI-everywhere world, it's also the only real differentiator."
The stakes are higher this time because AI changes the nature of human contribution. Organizations that focus solely on efficiency risk a race to the bottom, producing similar ideas at similar speeds. Instead, Aberman advocates for a bottom-up cultural shift that elevates originality. "Original thinkers who know how to work with AI aren't just useful, they're essential to avoiding sameness," he notes.
Hupside’s approach differs from traditional assessments by measuring outcomes rather than traits. Through OIQ scores and archetypes, leaders can see how individuals think with and without AI, enabling them to compose teams that avoid echo chambers and tailor training. For government and public sector initiatives, where risks of overreliance on AI are high, Hupside provides a way to assess originality in critical programs. "Policies, security strategies, even public trust depend on originality," Aberman says.
In the private sector, embedding originality into hiring and leadership can protect competitive edges. Education is also a key focus: "Students are growing up with AI as a constant, which means teaching them how to think beyond it is one of the most important skills we can give them." Looking ahead, Aberman believes originality will become the defining measure of human value, and Hupside aims to make it visible, measurable, and scalable.
