电话用了75年的时间才达到1亿用户。手机用了16年,Twitter用了5年,Facebook用了4年半。Instagram花了2年时间,ChatGPT只用了2个月就获得了1亿用户。
在第四次工业革命中,举足轻重的科技正在改变我们的工作、思考和生活方式。这个大趋势的变革速度是惊人的。
在本世纪初,世界上仅有3%的人可以上网。目前约有三分之二的人上网,而2030年实现普遍上网是联合国可持续发展目标之一。
本世纪的发明清单十分可观:人工智能(AI)、先进机器人、无人机、智能设备、3D打印、云计算、区块链技术、虚拟和增强现实、应用程序APP和社交平台、商业空间技术,以及崭露头角的CRISPR和基因编辑。
生成式AI是下一个通用技术,与个人电脑、互联网和移动电话一样具有变革性。它将影响各行各业,那些能与生成式AI开展创造性互动的人将成为各自领域的领导者。
人工智能(AI)市场将在这十年中增长20倍,预计在2030年达到近2万亿美元。
举足轻重的科技也带来了重大的实操和伦理挑战:
大型科技公司控制着全球的信息流和通信基础设施,而它们应该如何被监管?
日益提升的产品和服务与我们的隐私权之间又该如何权衡取舍?
基因编辑有望成为治愈失明的一种手段,但我们能遏制住打造“完美”婴儿的欲望吗?
谁将会是自动化工作的赢家和输家?
政府、企业和领导人面临的挑战将是确保这些新兴科技既能发挥其潜力,又能具备可得性,且公平和对社会有益。
Kemp, S. (2023). Digital 2023: Global Overview Report, Data Reportal. Available at: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2023-global-overview-report
United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union (ITU) (2022). ‘New UN Targets Chart Path to Universal Meaningful Connectivity’. Available at: https://www.itu.int/hub/2022/04/new-un-targets-chart-path-to-universal-meaningful-connectivity/
Thormundsson, B. (2023). ‘Global Artificial Intelligence Market Size 2021-2030’, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1365145/artificial-intelligence-market-size/
Hu, K. (2023). ‘ChatGPT sets record for fastest-growing user base’, Reuters 3/2/23. Available at:
https://www.reuters.com/technology/chatgpt-sets-record-fastest-growing-user-base-analyst-note-2023-02-01/
Livemint (2023). ‘Chat GPT’s meteorical rise – 100 million users in 2 months’, Mint 5/3/23. Available at:
https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/chatgpts-meteorical-rise-100-million-users-in-2-months-11677997670518.html

We believe in open and honest access to knowledge.
We use a Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivatives licence for our articles and podcasts, so you can republish them for free, online or in print.
Archive

Fairness control for risky artificial intelligence decision making
Exploring the balance between AI decision-making and human ethics leads to a critical question: How can we ensure fairness in AI's life-altering decisions?

Is Now and Then really a Beatles song? The fab four always used technology to create new music
The Beatles have released a new track - using new technology to strip Lennon’s vocals out of an old demo casette tape. Will this be part of Beatles canon?

AI chatbots are coming to your workplace but are not necessarily coming for your job
Chatbots are proving to be productive and useful but they can be unreliable and make mistakes.

Technology is changing the lives of female lawyers, in ways that are bad as well as good
A new survey finds working from home is removing barriers for women, but also blurring the barrier between work and the “safe space” of home.

Your car is watching you. The implications are profound and immediate
The issue of privacy breaches by car manufacturers is often overlooked.

VR is transforming how buildings are made
We no longer need to rely on the individual capability of people to read plans or imagine the spaces based on the pictures or verbal descriptions.

Australian consumers support better protections for gig workers
What is the quality, rather than the quantity, of the jobs that we wish to tolerate as a society?

Online scams are about to get more sophisticated than Nigerian princes
ChatGPT’s “evil cousin” WormGPT will allow bad actors to more accurately mimic the real deal in attempts to swindle and deceive people.

Creative AI: The death of the author?
Nick Cave says that AI-produced songs lack authenticity. With algorithms churning out news and scripts, will human creatives become obsolete?

Dial AI for assistance: leveraging AI for supply chain resilience and crisis management
How can businesses better weather unforeseen challenges and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace?

Black mirror lawyering
Recent developments in AI have alerted lawyers that the environment in which they compete is changing.

Replacing news editors with AI is a worry for misinformation, bias and accountability
Unlike a human editor, AI cannot explain their decisions or reasoning in a meaningful way. This can be a problem in a field where accountability and transparency are important.

Low-code apps: not just for the IT crowd
The pandemic may have turbo-charged low-code awareness, but how will the market grow in the coming years?

Zoom fatigue: a laborious act, in two parts
Even a few video calls can leave us exhausted, so how do you weigh the potential return on investment of each virtual meeting?

Students know AI is here to stay and want unis to teach them how to use it
Students understand there are limitations with ChatGPT, but they know it will have a huge impact on their careers.

The future of generative AI
This week: the speed, visibility and hype of generative AI, and goodbye.

Is 13 too young to have a TikTok or Instagram account?
The US surgeon general says 13 is ‘too early’ to be on social media. But an expert on parenting and digital media cautions against a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

The future of seafood with Aryé Elfenbein
This week: we discuss lab-grown seafood and the future of fish with Wildtype Co-Founder, Aryé Elfenbein.

How to perfect your prompt writing for ChatGPT, Midjourney and other AI generators
Users are having a blast getting creative with AI generators – but your output is only ever as good as your prompt.

Generative AI and life advice for the future with Kevin Kelly
This week: we talk with Wired Magazine co-founder Kevin Kelly about artificial intelligence, group think, and excellent advice for living.

ChatGPT is a data privacy nightmare. If you’ve ever posted online, you ought to be concerned
ChatGPT is fuelled by our intimate online histories, yet users have no way of knowing which of their data it contains.

Platform capitalism with Cory Doctorow and Rebecca Giblin
This week: we interview Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow, authors of Chokepoint Capitalism, about how platforms capture value in creative markets.

AI might be seemingly everywhere, but there are still plenty of things it can’t do – for now
From ChatGPT to Lensa, it feels like AI is here to take over. But despite some impressive results, such systems still have plenty of limitations.

What maths can teach us about privacy
How can we future-proof privacy so that in years hence it is not violated when dissected by more powerful computers?

The business of staying alive
What does online shopping have in common with surviving a heart attack?

Hybrid work: the 9 things we have learnt
After the pandemic-induced experimentation with new forms of work – here is a checklist of nine things we have learnt about hybrid working (and what is, and isn’t, working).

ChatGPT and generative AI
This week: Our ChatGPT and generative AI special. What is it? How does it work? What to do with it? Where to next?

The ChatGPT chatbot is blowing people away with its writing skills. An expert explains why it’s so impressive
The newest OpenAI text-generator is a marked improvement over its predecessor – but it still has its pitfalls.

The 4-day work week with Juliet Schor
This week: what if we all worked four days a week? We talk with Professor Juliet Schor about her research into the 4-day work week and the trials happening around the world.

Best business books of 2022
This week: corporate self-help, pandemics, climate, toxic stuff and socio-tech broccoli: our 2022 best business books for your holiday reading list.

Only 15% of AI investments succeed. An AI translator could help the other 85%
Investments in AI technologies are accelerating worldwide, what could an AI translator do to improve the success of AI-led projects?

Temu – Chinese apps going global
This week: Pinduoduo’s Temu marks another high-profile entry in the e-commerce market from a Chinese tech giant.

Generative AI and creative work
This week: how generative Artificial Intelligence and synthetic media changes the business of creative work.

After the Optus data breach, Australia needs mandatory disclosure laws
Optus made a public announcement about its breach but was not legally required to do so. This needs to change.

The looming AI arms race in hiring
As organisations embrace AI hiring systems, how will they be gamed?

Art and the AI machine
Does AI-generated art deserve a place in the history of our art and times?

The narrow road to the deeper connection
Incremental additions to practical medical knowledge can be lifesaving, but how can that be achieved in remote parts of the world?

Data is not the new oil with Genevieve Bell
This week: our 300th episode. We’re joined by Professor Genevieve Bell to settle once and for all – if data is not the new oil, then what is it?

Turning greenhouse gas into clean fuel
In the quest to tackle excessive greenhouse gas output, is there a fuel where the only by-product can be used as food for farm animals?

State of the Digital in 2022 (and the future) with Simon Kemp
This week: don’t believe the hype – the surprising truth about what is really going on online.

Is using AI to create art cheating?
Artificial Intelligence has worked its way into our vernacular, but what if AI is used to create art? Is it then really art?

Weird new jobs
This week: the AI whisperer, AI artist managers, data detectives, metaverse supply chain strategy consultants, and more cool jobs in the digital era.

How to prevent success from breeding failure
What if innovation leads to corporate disaster?

The business of movies is changing with Mike Seymour
This week: the business of movies is changing, with Mike Seymour.

Instagram, are you TikTok?
This week: as Instagram tries to become more like TikTok, small businesses protest.

For the sake of the planet we need to rethink human-centred design
Consumer expectations are changing due to a growing awareness of our impact on the planet. What does life-centred design offer organisations?

If we only think in the present, how can we imagine our future?
We need a coherent, concrete vision of the future to spur innovation and productivity.

AI fluency in Australia with Kellie Nuttall
This week: a special on artificial intelligence in Australian organisations and AI fluency with Deloitte’s AI Lead, Dr Kellie Nuttall.

China’s big tech problem: even in a state-managed economy, digital companies grow too powerful
Like the EU and unlike the US, China is trying to rein in the power of big tech companies. Can we learn from these efforts?

Quantum: what you need to know
You don’t need to understand the nitty gritty of quantum theory to engage in the conversation.

Every move you make, every step you take
How do facial recognition systems work and what does it mean when anyone can access these artificial intelligence driven platforms?

Another delivery drone trial and food security futures
This week: delivery drones - where are they, and why are they taking so long? Plus fake milk discussions and food security futures.

‘Transparency reports’ from tech giants are vague on how they’re combating misinformation. It’s time for legislation
Recently, concerns have been raised over the harm caused by misinformation in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and federal elections.

Buy now, pay later and the evolution of innovation
This week: the evolution (or revolution) in the BNPL disruption story.

Facial recognition and public data
This week: all things facial recognition and the implications of using public data.

Bells and whistles: nudging for safer pokies
How do we equalise the playing field where design deficiencies and dark nudges are at play?

Big tech – how big is big enough?
How big can big tech be despite raking in some of their biggest ever annual revenue increases amidst the ongoing pandemic and market problems?

Can regulators think like Google?
People are looking to governments to protect them against the undemocratic power wielded by internet platforms.

Stablecoins, not-so-stable cryptocurrency
This week: as cryptocurrencies plummet, some stable coins are not so stable.

Unlearn music on The Future, This Week
This week: we’re on a break but we have something interesting in store for you, we discuss how the way we engage with music is fundamentally changing — from something we listen to, to something we create with.

Elon Musk buys Twitter… well, sort of
This week: it really is a Musk when Elon becomes Twitter’s largest shareholder and gets a seat on the board.

Agricultural productivity, sex education and gender equity: 5 times soap operas enabled social change
Soap operas, with their long and involved storytelling and large audience reach, can be uniquely positioned to enable narrative transportation.

Encanto, TikTok and the art of social storytelling: why music is not just for listening anymore
TikTok trends and challenges rely on music to help tell a social story, collectively told across many videos - which in turn is helping songs go viral.

New York Times gets Wordle
This week: we discuss the economics and business behind the New York Times’ decision to buy popular internet game Wordle.

Fake fact-checking and disinformation
This week: fake fact-checking videos take disinformation to a different level.

Facebook: a troll’s paradise
What does it mean when a social network's algorithms favour anonymous groups bearing propaganda and misinformation?

Cybersecurity and women with Meraiah Foley
This week: on International Women's Day why cybersecurity needs more women and what we can do about it with expert Dr Meraiah Foley.

The future of higher education with Mark Scott
This week: what is the future of universities? As the sector navigates disruption and uncertainty, special guest Professor Mark Scott joins us to discuss the future of higher education.

Unlearn automation on The Future, This Week
This week: we’re on a break but we have something interesting in store for you, and it’s not about our longitudinal auto ethnographic research on leisure time but rather, how automation will make your job harder.

Extra: a music deep dive on The Unlearn Project
In this extra episode, we take a deep dive into the history of the music industry.

Eyes wide open, the best business books (lists) for 2021
We have curated the various lists of Best Business Books for 2021 and sorted them according to our (more helpful) categories.

Best business books of 2021 on The Future, This Week
This week: corporate self-help, schadenfreude, tech broccoli, and real eyeopeners: our 2021 best business books for your Christmas list.