Nigel Shadbolt on the Web at 25: augmented intelligence (original) (raw)

This article was taken from the March 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.

For me, the most unexpected part of the web's evolution is the degree to which it has ushered in a new kind of AI -- augmented intelligence. The web provides millisecond access to vast amounts of knowledge, which makes us more capable.

The other surprise is the emergence and extent of a new type of system -- social machines. These comprise people connected at scale with the web's data processing to solve problems that are beyond any individual.

The web will assume an increasing role in our political and cultural lives. It is already being used to target and secure votes, and single-issue groups will use it to gather support.

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The biggest disrupters will arise from the web's own success. An internet of things will mean most traffic will be machine to machine. We won't know how much of our society depends on this hidden web. Ubiquitous life logging will mean more of everyone's lives will be recorded and potentially accessible. The challenge of archiving -- what can be stored and what should be discarded or forgotten -- will also become material. A battle will also rage to keep the web universal and accessible. Wars will be conducted in part online -- from propaganda to subverting the digital nervous system the web has become.

One of the biggest opportunities is open innovation -- using data and computing power to solve problems. From medicine to engineering, aid to environmental protection, the web will be essential to securing the planet's future.

Nigel Shadbolt is head of the Web and Internet Science Group at the University of Southampton, and chair and cofounder of the Open Data Institute

More from Wired's Web at 25 series

• Tim Berners-Lee: the past, present and future
• Marc Andreessen: embed the internet
• Jimmy Wales: the developing world
• Mikko Hypponen: government surveillance
• Joi Ito: 'it's a living, evolving organism'
• Keren Elazari: biocomputing mechanisms
• Vint Cerf: internet of things
• Nick D'Aloisio: natural language
• Ze Frank: 8 things to expect next
• Arianna Huffington: the net grows up
• 8 internet memes you forgot you shared

This article was originally published by WIRED UK