Aware of Big Data or Caught in the Matrix

The world of new technologies converge its efforts towards ‘Big Data’ since 2001 with an increasing velocity due to favorable technical circumstances.

For the few who still don’t know what I am talking about, let me introduce the concept briefly.

‘Big Data’ relates to large datasets mostly gathered in unstructured forms and multiple formats from the behavior of people and groups but it covers potentially all sorts of data: medical, social, financial, economical, meteorological, geophysical etc. The challenge of ‘big data’ remains to be able to process and analyse in REAL TIME this unprecedented amount of data as it could be used to optimize costs, suggest products and even predict facts for individuals, groups or locations and for different purposes such as marketing, transport, pandemics, security defence, seismology etc.

Even if the environment is not mature yet in terms of infrastructure, affordability and skills, Internet awakened the benefits of ‘big data’ so we can perceive that businesses and governments would be interested in and also that economic and social impacts would be huge.

But at this stage some deeper questions should be considered by the Society:

·      How far are we ready to give up on our data privacy to buy products or security?

·      Do we want a data-driven public policy considering the power of lobbying policymakers will face and probably face already from Executives and Governments in a World under terrorists attacks threats?

·      How big is the threat? How big is the profit? How knowledgeable are we about ‘big data’ impact if combined with Artificial Intelligence? How conscious are we about the situation?

Top scientists and technology leaders have signed a letter in January warning of the potential dangers of developing artificial intelligence (AI) by stressing that research in AI should focus not only on making AI more capable, but also on its benefits to Society as its development could ‘spell the end of human race’ (Hawking recently joined by Bill Gates).

If one considers the poor results gained by Society facing Businesses in the climate change debates it’s legitimate to fear that the combination of AI and ‘big data’ driven only by profit could change the world into a Matrix scenario.