Big Data and the Future of Innovation: Open Society

In the last few years, we are witnessing the cover page stories of many publications like Time, Harvard Business Review, Nature, and Economist highlight the digital era as we read titles like “Data deluge, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and 4th Industrial Revolution”. It is estimated that there is an exponential growth of data which amounts to 43 trillion of gigabytes by 2020, this figure is 300 times more than 2005. Moreover, the cost of poor data in the US is estimated to amount to about $3.1 trillion per year. This is a testimony that we live in a new digital era where Big data is inducing a disruption and is forcing us to re-think business model and architecture. However, the volume, velocity and variety of Big Data is characterized by veracity which is the uncertainty in data that is likely to influence economy and society. 

Technology is shaping our economy and society in an unprecedented manner but the challenge is defined by Jamie Bartlett in his recent book titled “The People Versus Tech” in which he argues that democracy and technology are two different “species” and are in bitter conflict. Specifically, democracy is based on hierarchy and analogue while technology is founded on decentralized norms and digital systems. Hence, the challenge is to harness technology to serve democracy or alternatively end up in a situation that technology disrupts governments and democracy. The cyberspace is mismatched with the real physical world which creates tension as articulated by Barlow’s Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace in which he said “Governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed. You have neither solicited nor received ours”. 

However, technology can empower good governance as the model of Open Government proposed by Barak Obama. This model can contribute to support transparency a as manifested in open data sources (data.gov). This open data to all citizens improves services in health and transport by using google maps and help in many domains like on-line education, prevention of epidemics, job search and e-marketing.

The key features of democracy are underpinned by ideal of clear rights, distributed powers and informed debate. Moreover, democracy is founded on a set of pillars which are active citizens, a shared culture, free elections, stakeholder equality, competitive economy and trust in authority. On the other hand, although technology offers access to information and connects people but it enables people to form new form of “digital tribes” that can manipulate public opinion. Algorithms are creating new norms and knowledge that are sources of power. The fear is that the emergence of robots and smart machines may limit human moral judgment and they will create mass unemployment which will disrupt society. How can we protect democracy from technology? A few key ideas may contribute to save democracy which include a simple recipe; i.e., own your opinion and develop an independent-mind and have moral autonomy. 

Prof. Odeh Al-Jayyousi, Head of Innovation and Technology Management, Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain,  E-mail: odehaj@agu.edu