LineChange: An Analytic Framework for Automated Moderation of Crowdsourcing Systems

If humans are more productive in collective problem-solving with a modicum of active help and guidance, then the potential of automated moderation of crowdsourcing systems has yet to be realized. Here, we present the conceptual design of an intelligent machine capable of (a) monitoring the temporal, structural, and emergent characteristics of participant behavior in a problem-solving process, and (b) modifying team structure and prompting participants for input at opportune or transitional moments in that process—by configuration, rule, or inference—to achieve collective goals and optimize output. The design is unique in treating teams as composable objects, in being scale-free, in relying on configuration and inference (not hard-coding), and in treating participant behaviors as sensory input.