The evolution of technology in the modern era

In today's environment, many of us use technologies without fully understanding how they work, such as telephones, the Internet and email. This can cause discomfort when we discover new features or when we realize how difficult it is to keep up with technological evolution. However, it is undeniable that this evolution is constant and that the amount of information available is growing exponentially.

An interesting example concerns the growing amount of scientific publications published every year. In 2000, approximately 1 million scientific articles were published, while in 2016 over 2.5 million were published, with a constantly increasing trend. This means that no one is able to read everything that is published in their field of interest, so we must rely on "someone else" to aggregate and comment on the sources. Imagine that you were born in 1990 and have lived isolated on a desert island until today. Upon our return to civilization, we would find an entirely different world, with widespread smartphones, digital photography, real-time communication, and geopolitical changes. This rapid cultural change is unprecedented in human history, and we would be hard-pressed to try to readjust. Therefore, it is clear that our life cannot be completely functional to technological evolution, and we need digital support that simplifies access to information.

Current AI is based on the evolution of information present on the network, on their interconnection, on metadata analysis and semantic analysis. Classification algorithms are the key to accessing this enormous amount of knowledge. Thinkers like Nicolas Negroponte predicted that technology would become an integral part of our lives back in the 1990s, while Bill Gates talked about digital convergence. Steve Jobs, with the iPhone, demonstrated that technology can be accessible and intuitive. Today, digital assistants using natural language are becoming more and more common, allowing for direct dialogue with technology. In summary, current AI is the result of the evolution of digital information, their interconnection and advanced analysis. It represents a significant change in our society, but it is also a response to growing technological complexity.

We are only at the beginning of a phase that could make information more accessible and reduce social and cultural divisions around the world.