The New Normal
What is normal today will not be normal within a very short period of time.
A world without human ingenuity would hardly be one we'd recognize - or in my case, want. Today that ingenuity is largely driven by technology innovation. I'd be curious to know how fast our digital reality shifts, since the initial Moore's Law has jumped out of the computer and into our everyday existence. Driven in the last century by the Internet, the world's largest collection yet of shared information, our connected experience grew from 0.4% in 1995 to about 49% in 2016. Now driven by the Internet of Things, we're adding about 5.5 million connected devices a day with billions predicted by 2020. This creates entirely new possibilities for connecting us in cities and globally.
Nevertheless, humans as individuals, and certainly as groups, tend to change much more slowly than the pace set by technology. In 2016 the World Bank published a report on digital dividends - essentially confirming through rigorous study that as a global entity we are not preparing our people to, nor are we ensuring, they can take advantage of digital innovations. Adoption, let alone fluency, is challenging for all kinds of socioeconomic and political reasons. Adoption requires an approach versed in complex environments given many moving, and yet unknown, parts.
Three cases in point: artificial intelligence enables self-driving truck convoys with all kinds of environmental benefits - yet we are more and more concerned (again) about automation destroying people's livelihoods - not only truck drivers but restaurants, hotels, taxi, bus and train industries. Augmented reality educational games gets kids out of the chair and into their community as active agents - yet we want to be sure they are safe (digitally and physically), have access to devices (which they often do not), and that teachers and families can support new learning environments. And, connected devices make it possible for treasures in conflict zones to be "preserved" for future generations - yet we are still not funding stewards who can preserve our knowledge for the longhaul - with all kinds of questions remaining on who has access to research and at what cost.
I'm dedicated to exploring and implementing solutions that make it possible for people to leverage our digital investments in cities and other types of communities to achieve their aspirations and the aspirations of others. This blog is focused on sharing what I, and others, learn, so as a community we can make a difference.
By Mary Lee Kennedy
A world without human ingenuity would hardly be one we'd recognize - or in my case, want. Today that ingenuity is largely driven by technology innovation. I'd be curious to know how fast our digital reality shifts, since the initial Moore's Law has jumped out of the computer and into our everyday existence. Driven in the last century by the Internet, the world's largest collection yet of shared information, our connected experience grew from 0.4% in 1995 to about 49% in 2016. Now driven by the Internet of Things, we're adding about 5.5 million connected devices a day with billions predicted by 2020. This creates entirely new possibilities for connecting us in cities and globally.
Nevertheless, humans as individuals, and certainly as groups, tend to change much more slowly than the pace set by technology. In 2016 the World Bank published a report on digital dividends - essentially confirming through rigorous study that as a global entity we are not preparing our people to, nor are we ensuring, they can take advantage of digital innovations. Adoption, let alone fluency, is challenging for all kinds of socioeconomic and political reasons. Adoption requires an approach versed in complex environments given many moving, and yet unknown, parts.
Three cases in point: artificial intelligence enables self-driving truck convoys with all kinds of environmental benefits - yet we are more and more concerned (again) about automation destroying people's livelihoods - not only truck drivers but restaurants, hotels, taxi, bus and train industries. Augmented reality educational games gets kids out of the chair and into their community as active agents - yet we want to be sure they are safe (digitally and physically), have access to devices (which they often do not), and that teachers and families can support new learning environments. And, connected devices make it possible for treasures in conflict zones to be "preserved" for future generations - yet we are still not funding stewards who can preserve our knowledge for the longhaul - with all kinds of questions remaining on who has access to research and at what cost.
I'm dedicated to exploring and implementing solutions that make it possible for people to leverage our digital investments in cities and other types of communities to achieve their aspirations and the aspirations of others. This blog is focused on sharing what I, and others, learn, so as a community we can make a difference.
By Mary Lee Kennedy
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