In The Fourth Industrial Revolution Data is the New Oil
We are data generators and AI technologies are mining this valuable source at record time.
Dear reader, today I want to share with you a reflection about the artificial mentality that has managed to govern what we know as the fourth industrial revolution and that aims to completely transform our environment and take us to scenarios that before we could only see in superhero movies and science fiction.
The current context is preceded by 3 key moments in modern history:
In 1765 the race for productivity began with the installation of mechanized manufacturing plants and machinery exploiting the power of water.
In the year 1870, a breakthrough was achieved by mastering the power of electricity through line based production, creating mass products for a wider consumer public.
In 1969, with the power of computing, the start of process automation and large-scale programming was achieved to promote optimization at lower costs.
Arriving like this, to the current scenario that is characterized by the digitization of our life, contemplating how time passes in the middle of apps, videos, and web pages that now manage every aspect of our existence.
The Origins of AI
When we are kids, approximately 2 years old, as human beings we develop the ability to be aware of the feelings and thoughts of other people, generating a bond of coexistence in which the communication of needs is born in search of being satisfied. Through our crying, we requested food, attention, and care that would allow us to continue with our development and our lives.
It seems that this ability to understand the feelings and thoughts of someone else is how artificial intelligence is responsible for knowing in detail our behaviors and our needs. Unconsciously from the beginning of our existence, the information has been there, the difference is that today practically all the details of reality are recorded and there is little we can do to avoid becoming key objectives of those organizations that are managing to take advantage of the valuable information that can be extracted from the database of life.
Our preferences, behaviors, and patterns are now perfectly susceptible to being transformed into databases to obtain very valuable information.
Data is the Raw Material
Since we get up every day there are unmistakable signs that our activities have started, the smartphone alarm tells us that it is time to start a new day and with it an adventure of generating data at the service of data processors to turn them into useful information.
During the day our devices are continually communicating important aspects of our life without we even notice it. The time we use our phones, the financial transfers we make, the food we order, the messages we exchange with our friends and family, our financial information, and the recreational pages that we browse to hang out, absolutely every decision we make today, represents information that is collected and used to offer us better experiences as consumers of goods and services.
In the same way that different industries need raw materials to obtain finished articles for consumption, artificial intelligence needs data to manufacture useful information to innovate and satisfy needs.
The AI is only a tool and as such the results depend largely on who uses it, we know that there may be individuals with bad intentions who can take advantage of new advances to act against social interests, although it also reflects a huge opportunity to solve social problems efficiently.
Today the ability to learn from data represents one of our superpowers as human beings that little by little has permeated practically all industries and all sectors until it completely changes the lives of the people who benefit from the results of data transformation.
There is no need to deny it, we always want the best of experiences and personalized attention that provide solutions to our different needs as when we were children, that is, even before we could evaluate practically everything we consume there was an uncertainty regarding quality and good service in everything we acquire, today the balance has been balanced and we can make informed decisions that help us obtain the experiences with the quality we seek.
An Open Door For Innovation
To give us an idea of the information that circulates on the network, let’s review the following statistics that can also be consulted here:
- Worldwide there are approximately 4,437,215,927 internet users
- It is estimated that each user spends 6 hours 43 minutes online every day
- E-commerce is expected to bill 3,450,000,000 dollars
- 71% of people think they will have a better deal online than in physical stores
- By 2020 it is estimated that more than half of advertising expenses will be made online
The world has developed infrastructures more capable of processing amounts of information never seen before that allow us to understand the world in a better way, in the same way, we as entrepreneurs have tools at our disposal to achieve better results in our projects to generate value in society.
While it is true that business models must be self-sustainable and seek to obtain profits, it is also true that we can generate value in the people who receive our goods and services through Artificial Intelligence technologies that today are more affordable.
The installed capacity of organizations today must be exploited efficiently, production models are oriented to clear results from the understanding of consumption patterns. If we stop to think of the financial sector as the retail sector among many others, our shopping experiences have evolved and we can likely make purchases without the need to receive support from another person, we have managed to digitize the way of buying without affecting quality during the process.
The implementation of improvements should be budgeted and planned because it allows organizations to prepare to face complicated shocks in times of crisis and that is why it is urgent to incorporate this type of technology with socially responsible uses that promote sustainable growth
Conclusion
Innovation will allow us to create a better place in our environment through artificial intelligence, however we must not lose sight of the fact that our active participation will allow a better orientation of its use, which is why our education in digital environments will allow us to better use of the tools at our disposal to manage our information responsibly and take care of our privacy by avoiding providing our data to people or companies in which we do not trust. This not only prevents our data from being misused, but we also promote the ethical development of the digital environment.
