The Equation That Reframes Everything
AI + MI × HI. Artificial Intelligence plus Material Intelligence, multiplied by Human Intelligence and Judgment.
At the BuiltWorlds Infrastructure Conference, I shared this idea while co-presenting on "Building for the Long Haul." The premise: our biggest infrastructure challenge is not what we have not built. It is the vast built environment we already have. Technology amplifies capabilities. Material science extends service life. But human judgment and experience? That is the multiplier that turns data into decisions.
(AI + MI) × HI™ is an original framework developed by Jigar B. Desai.
The multiplication sign is the key insight. If HI is zero, the entire equation is zero. A firm with powerful AI tools and deep domain expertise but no human judgment to direct them will produce sophisticated answers to the wrong questions.
Fix It First, Then Innovate for Longevity
The industry keeps chasing shiny new projects while existing infrastructure crumbles. Maintenance ROI beats replacement every time.
The two-pronged strategy that works: fix it first and maintain, then innovate for longevity. Build once, build right. Advanced materials are not luxuries. They are investments in the next century. But without the human judgment to know where to deploy them, they are just expensive inputs.
This applies beyond physical infrastructure. Teams, careers, and organizations all benefit from the same principle: maintain what works, invest where it compounds, and never skip the human judgment that connects the two.
Mentoring Is a Multiplier in Disguise
I recently reconnected with my longtime friend and colleague Raul Crespo, now an Associate Principal. Our journey together spans over a decade, back to when I first hired him and supported his career growth. Though our offices are now miles apart, we remain connected by mutual respect and a shared drive for growth.
As part of his new leadership role, he chose me as his mentor again. And here is what I keep relearning: the mentor is never just giving. The exchange sharpens both sides. Raul reminded me how important it is to remain curious and open, regardless of titles or tenure.
In the words of Maya Angelou: “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.” True mentorship is a collective exchange where each party pushes the other to new heights. That is the HI multiplier in action.
Can This Framework Scale Beyond My Own Work?
I use (AI + MI) × HI as a personal decision filter. It works for evaluating investments, hiring, and strategic bets. But I have not tested whether it holds when applied at the firm level, across diverse service lines and geographies, where the "material intelligence" varies by discipline.
The ½: I am still figuring out whether this is a personal compass or an organizational operating system. The answer probably determines whether 3½ Things stays a personal brand or becomes something bigger.