01
Problem
For complex problems or creative ideation, a single AI agent instance might get stuck in a local optimum or fail to explore a diverse range of solutions. Generating a breadth of ideas can be challenging for a sequential, monolithic process.
02
Solution
Employ a multi-agent approach for brainstorming and idea generation. This involves:
- Defining a core problem or task.
- Spawning multiple independent (or semi-independent) AI agent instances.
- Assigning each agent the same initial task or slightly varied perspectives on the task.
- Allowing each agent to work in parallel to generate ideas, solutions, or approaches.
- Collecting the outputs from all agents.
- Optionally, a coordinating agent or a human user can then synthesize these diverse outputs, identify common themes, or select the most promising ideas for further development.
This pattern leverages parallelism to explore a wider solution space and can lead to more creative or robust outcomes than a single agent might produce alone.
03
How to use it
- Use this when you need diverse perspectives or want to avoid local optimum trapping.
- Assign distinct roles or perspectives to each agent (e.g., critic, optimist, technical realist).
- Limit to 2-4 agents for manageable coordination; more than 6 adds exponential overhead.
- Use a coordinating agent or human to synthesize and deduplicate outputs.
04
Trade-offs
- Pros: Explores wider solution space, reduces local optimum trapping, enables diverse perspective exploration.
- Cons: Adds orchestration complexity, coordination overhead increases with agent count, requires synthesis mechanisms.
05
Example
- "Use 3 parallel agents to brainstorm ideas for how to clean up
@services/aggregator/feed_service.cpp." (from Claude Code examples)
06
References
- Inspired by the example of using parallel agents for brainstorming in "Mastering Claude Code: Boris Cherny's Guide & Cheatsheet," section III.
- AAAI 2024: "Collective Intelligence in Multi-Agent Brainstorming Systems" - heterogeneous agents achieve higher creativity scores
- Microsoft AutoGen: https://github.com/microsoft/autogen
- MetaGPT: https://github.com/geekan/MetaGPT