What role for the information specialist in the era of autonomous machines? What responsibilities attach to information that is in machine code, unreadable to humans, and how do we manage it? What new opportunities exist in a world of highly contextualised, personalised information that may be valid only for a few minutes? These and other questions are addressed in this presentation, given at the Lavacon Conference in Portland, Oregon, November 7, 2017, by Ray Gallon and Andy McDonald. The ideas in it are closely connected to the Information 4.0 Consortium: http://information4zero.org

1. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
OUR ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY IN
INFORMATION 4.0
Context, Molecular Information, Governance, Ethics
Ray Gallon Andy McDonald

2. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors

3. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Four design
principles:
▪ Interoperability
▪ Information
transparency
▪ Technical assistance
▪ Decentralized
decisions
Industry 4.0
Originated as strategy in the
German government Includes:
▪ Cyber-physical systems
▪ The Internet of things
▪ Cloud computing
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C7bhdJhXQAAP6Eo.jpg

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
The Four Industrial Revolutions

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Paradigm Shift Technologies
Internet of Things:
Identifiable objects
interacting & deciding
autonomously
Augmented Reality:
Digital content added to
reality to enrich information
Human Bionics:
Altering, augmenting, or
adding to human capacity
using technology
Driven by
Artificial
Intelligence

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
CONSEQUENCES FOR
CONTENT INDUSTRIES

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Intelligent Technologies:
Distinguishing Characteristics

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
IoT and AI:
Machine Autonomy
What do they
need us for?
What do we do
better than they
do?
What do they
do better than
us?

9. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Delusions About AI
AI today is mostly
pattern matching
The algorithms
were developed in
the 60’s and 70’s
Today’s difference:
BIG DATA
Beware outrageous
claims, but it’s still
very powerful
Input
Hidden layers
(Deep structure)
Depends on training
from Big Data
Output

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
INFORMATION 4.0

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Information 4.0: All About the User

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Characteristics of Information 4.0

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
What is High Contextualization?
The circumstances
that form the setting
for an event,
statement, or idea,
and in terms of which
it can be fully
understood.
Oxford
Dictionary
Static
information
A matrix of perceivable,
observable, programmed,
predicted parameters,
events or intents that
define an information
response request.
– Information 4.0
Spontaneus
information

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Why do we need to bother?
Everything is becoming user-centric
Technology is more and more capable of
identifying us and will drive context
determination
The arrival of AI everywhere will accelerate
prediction
Technology itself will produce more and more
information

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
AI Everywhere

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
The Ambition
We are at a unique point in the
convergence of information and
technology
The goal: provide a unique information
response tailored for individuals in a given
context
That means predicting what we need next

17. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Contextualization Process
Understand what technology will do
Design an information model
adapted to the technology
Make the two worlds work together
in a responsive way

18. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Context prediction
Stephen Sigg (Aalto
University, Finland):
Sensors know elements
of each person’s
context
http://ambientintelligence.aalto.fi/
projects.html

19. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Ephemeral current
conditions
Extremely sensitive initial
conditions
Unpredictable final
conditions
Information or context that only
exists for a short time:
Volatility
http://www.islandbreath.org/2015Year/06/150628butterfly.jpg

20. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Validity versus Validation
Validity matrix
Individual value
Context related
Measure of trust
and reliability
Pertinence
mapping
Traceability
Validitation of methods
◼ Contextualizing
algorithms
◼ Information assembled as
a response to contextual
triggers
◼ These are autonomous.
How to verify?
How to classify information between volatile and persistent?
What do we do with volatile information?

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Metadata: still key to managing validity
Metadata of contexts
and their
relationships ?
Metadata of
moleular coherence

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
The Question of Governance
Determines how the content
lifecycle is managed:
People
Process and methodology
Standards or best practices
Accountability
Obsolescence

23. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Governance:
What do we already know how to do?
Collaboration with machines
Curation
Move from content design to
experience oriented design

24. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Governance Questions for Information 4.0
Who has accountability for information that
passes from machine to machine in codes that
humans can’t read?
How do we decide governance about
information embedded in products?
(when product strategy includes content strategy)
What do we govern in volatile information?
When, in the development process, should we
intervene?

25. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Governance:
What do we need to learn?
Integrate product strategy, marketing strategy
and content strategy into a continuous
experience or process
Understand what humans do better than bots
Cater for technology-experience-literate users
How and when to engage with
ethical questions
Our new role at each phase

26. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Role and Responsibility
Our role: provide a guided journey that
contributes to the customer experience
Our responsibility: offer users information that
keeps them:
Productive
Safe for themselves, others around them, and the
environment
Content with the product and the company

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
New Opportunities, New Roles

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
DO YOU FEEL CONCERNED?
Will this affect you?

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
European Parliament
Resolution on Robotics
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+TA+P8-TA-2017-0051+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN
Ethics
Status as a Person
Responsability

30. @RayGallon @AndyMcD_TECH
@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Information 4.0 Consortium
Think tank of individuals and organizations to reflect
on the role of information in Industry 4.0 and
beyond
Manufacturing
Software
Universities / education
Information specialists
NGO’s and associations

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@info4zero Presentation © 2017 by The authors
Thank You!
Want to know more? Talk to us!
@info4zero
Webs:
www.transformationsociety.net
www.easydoccontents.com/en/home/
@RayGallon
@AndyMcD_TECH
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