Thijs Pepping
on Regenerative Intelligence and Being a Tech Philosopher
Why does “Regenerative Intelligence” sound so intriguing?
What exactly is a Technology Philosopher? What kind of mind bridges the new tech world with the ancient art of living?
So many questions, and so many desirable paths to the future.
Thijs Pepping wanders and wanders, dreaming of a world where humans, technology, and nature can evolve not in isolation, but in harmony.
He is not your typical Trend Analyst. Sure, he is an author, speaker and researcher at SogetiLabs. What truly defines him is the quest to answer profound questions about existence: “How do we, as humans, find meaning in our lives? How can we create humane organizations and societies amidst rapid technological change?”
To Thijs, technology is more than just innovation. It’s a mirror reflecting an exciting yet uncertain new world filled with evolving people, habits, and rituals. A force that reshapes how we live, think, and dream. But with great power comes great responsibility.
In “Real Fake”, the book he co-authored on generative AI and the intertwined relationship between nature and technology, Thijs had a revelation: “Regeneration is not just as a paradigm shift. It’s a holistic process of healing and flourishing all life forms.”
Climate change and AI are two of the most defining forces shaping our future. Thijs believes we, as humans, can’t tackle these alone. Our creativity is limitless, but so are our flaws. He advocates for a partnership, a gentle balance between three kinds of intelligence: Natural Intelligence (the wisdom of nature), Human Intelligence (creativity, emotions, and ability to dream), Artificial Intelligence (a new form that could help us overcome our short-sightedness).
This trinity forms Regenerative Intelligence, an ideal where everything works in synergy to create self-healing, sustainable systems that serve all life forms. Thijs, however, has a deeper philosophy about life itself: “We’re all fools,” he says with a knowing smile. “None of us truly understands reality. But the closest we can come is through collective thinking, by combining and testing the countless perspectives that exist, even those of other life forms.”
This means that you matter. Every action and perspective matters: “There’s incredible power in you. Don’t let anyone diminish that. Let it shine.” Thijs reminds us that we are not just individuals navigating life. We are walking ecosystems embedded in larger ones: “Regenerative Intelligence is an ambitious goal, something to strive towards. I’m shooting for the stars, while hopefully maintaining my Dutch down-to-earth attitude. Let's see how this journey unfolds.”
Read Thijs Pepping 🌱🤖’s answers for Inspirators and dare to question and wonder!
Thank you, Thijs, for being a Technology Philosopher!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Thijs Pepping
Company / Institution: SogetiLabs
Title: Technology Philosopher
Website: thijspepping.com
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thijs-pepping/
Country of origin: Netherlands
Country you currently live in: Netherlands
Your definition of Regeneration: I view Regeneration as a holistic process of healing and flourishing all life forms within the ecosystem.
To achieve this, I believe we can use all the help we can get. Artificial Intelligence, for instance, can help address some of the limitations in human thinking, such as our tendency toward short-sightedness. These three types of intelligence, natural, human, and artificial, have unique capabilities and flaws. This is why I am exploring the ultimate synergy between AI, humans and nature, which I call Regenerative Intelligence: the synergistic integration of natural, human and artificial intelligence aimed at creating sustainable, self-healing systems that contribute to the well-being of all life forms and ecosystems.
Main business challenge you face: I’m working to introduce a regenerative way of thinking and being to the technology sector. I do this while being aware I’m still very much a student in the regenerative domain. While sustainability is only now gaining traction, with initiatives like green coding certifications and emission trackers for software, the concept of regeneration remains abstract.
What might a regenerative IT company look like? How will regenerative AI function? And how can I bring the conversation to a higher level? From talking about the costs of a ChatGPT prompt (which is important to be aware of: 0.002 kWh, about 4-10 times higher than a Google search) to rethinking IT altogether in a regenerative way?
Main driver that keeps you going: Life. I like life. I want everyone and every living being to have the capability and opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: I’m trying to embrace life to the fullest, in all its aspects, even though it can be very overwhelming.
The trait you most value in others: Kindness, honesty, perseverance.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: My 2-year-old son and my upcoming child. I love Sunday mornings, hanging around, going on adventures together, and watching the day unfold itself. I live next to a large forest, so I often go mountain biking. (The wolf has returned to these forests, still hoping to see one in the future.) And I love playing squash!
The Inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path:
Leen Gorissen
Susan Paulson
Felix van Hoften
Kees Klomp
Hannah Ritchie
Rein Jan Renes
Jan Rotmans
Menno van Doorn
My child(ren), family and friends
A starting point for companies or professionals that are beginning the regeneration journey:
Once in a while, plan a meeting outside and walk through nature together.
Look for inspiration, and browse through the Regenerative Business Case Database.
Find peers with the same vision, in real life or search on Inspirators.org, or LinkedIn and send them a message. Have a 30-minute call and see where it takes you.
Start conversations in your team. The Regenerative Compass for designers has some interesting topic starters.
Take one step at a time and be grateful with every step. Becoming regenerative is ambitious and you are doing pioneering work.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you:
You are a hypocrite because you … (fill the gaps: flew last year, ate meat, bought a new jacket). I think hypocrisy is the base condition for everyone and will be for a long time. Life has become so complicated and we are dependent on so many people (read this incredible short story: I, Pencil!). To become truly regenerative in every aspect of our lives, work, etc. is a long journey. And it’s more than worth it to take it.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope:
I love this quote: "Our youth nowadays has a strong inclination toward luxury, exhibits poor manners, shows disdain for authority, and lacks respect for elders. They prefer idle chatter over discipline. Young people contradict their parents, fail to remain silent in social gatherings and tyrannize their teachers.”
This quote is approximately 2,500 years old, and Plato attributes it to Socrates. I view Socrates as wise, but he was also a fool. Just like all of us. We all try to understand reality, but not a single person on earth truly understands it. The closest we come to understanding reality is by collective thinking. Combining all the perspectives there are out there in the world and examining them, testing them, and weighing them. Even trying to understand the perspectives of other life forms will bring us closer to understanding reality.
This means that you matter. And what you do and think matters. Don’t let anyone make you think or feel otherwise. There is an incredible power in you and don’t be afraid to let it shine.
Books that had a great impact on you / Must-Reads for any regenerative professional:
Leen Gorissen - Building the Future of Innovation on millions of years of Natural Intelligence
Jan Rotmans - Embracing the Chaos
Herman Hesse - Siddhartha
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again: None, I don’t like to rewatch something. But recently I watched, liked and would recommend: Interstellar, The Biggest Little Farm, and The Outsider.
Websites / Podcasts you visit frequently: I read the book Nexus from Harari and discovered it was on Spotify for free for premium users. So I listened to some chapters as well. I can highly recommend the Nexus (audio)book. It’s an important analysis of our history and future with information. And thus how AI will impact our future.
AI will have a big impact on our lives and way of thinking. AI will also play a big role (positively and negatively) in becoming regenerative. One can become regenerative thanks to AI and despite AI at the same time. This will be my main research topic for the coming years.
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: Jacob Collier. That man is brilliant.
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: Too many to name.
From Vietnam, Switzerland, Austria, Iceland and Peru to my parents' backyard, the Dutch polders, and the forest I live next to. In my early twenties, I went mostly on cultural holidays. Now, in my thirties, it’s more about nature, hiking and camping in the mountains, forests, etc. Curious about what my life will look like in ten years!
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow:
Leen Gorissen: Biologist PHD and author of Natural Intelligence. She has a lot of wisdom and knowledge of symbiosis, nature, and regenerative ways of being and thinking. Leen bridges the gap between regenerative and business. I highly recommend going to her workshop. She also consults about nature-inspired innovation and regenerative design.
Paul Polman: He worked ten years as CEO to make Unilever more sustainable. Now he is advising organizations and promoting systemic changes in the business world to combat climate change and ensure equity.
Max Skud: He is the former Head of Learning & Organizational Development at Microsoft in San Francisco. He delves deeper into what exactly makes leadership regenerative.
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on:
AI has its faults and due to the high adoption rate (so many people started using ChatGPT and other AI services) the footprint of Microsoft and Google has been increasing instead of declining in the last two years. Despite Microsoft wanting to be carbon-negative in 2030.
But, at the same time, AI can also help a lot! From finding new materials to regenerative medicine to guiding you through all the knowledge there is. I mean, changing my diet from vegetarian, to flexitarian, to vegan, to plant-based was like a university bachelor's in itself. It took so much time, reading, talking to people, experimenting etc. And that’s only changing my diet. What about clothes? My house? And what about my work, the whole IT industry, etc. etc. It’s really hard to say how the net to end result will be of the impact of AI. I’m convinced AI will be everywhere soon in all our lives, be open to the positive use cases, and critical of the negative use cases. I’m continuously researching this topic, and sharing insights in my newsletter.
Events we should attend / Best places for networking (online or offline):
For those in IT: In the Netherlands we organize every year a symposium, and you’re more than welcome to come. Give me a heads up, maybe we can meet.
Impactful and relevant Sustainable Development or Regeneration courses or certifications:
In Belgium: REGENERATIVE BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP RETREAT.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: I view Regenerative thinking as a paradigm shift. Equal to understanding that the world is not flat but round, now we need to understand you are not looking at an individual in the mirror, but a walking ecosystem (that what you call ‘I’ consists of 69 billion cells, only 30 billion are human) in a bigger ecosystem. This paradigm shift takes time.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: AI will intensify almost everything. It will be a catalyst for the course we are on. Currently, it’s not a regenerative course. I suspect there will be an intensified concentration of wealth and power in Big Tech. Europe is leading in AI when it comes to protecting its citizens, but way behind in developing its own systems. Europe (citizens, companies, NGOs, and governments) will be depended on tooling from the VS and China, which will make their systems even better (due to data harvesting).
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Business sense; how to bridge the gap between regenerative (not just sustainable) thinking and the practice of an IT company, a lamp maker, a baker, an electrician, e-commerce, a security company, urban planner, healthcare professional, etc.
The Inspirator(s) you are endorsing for a future edition:
Lieven Verdin
The quote that inspires you:
"We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us." (John M. Culkin)
Your quote that will inspire us:
