An Extraordinary Human Endeavour
Last month, Inrupt’s CTO Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Raf Buyle, Innovation Lead at Athumi, participated in a panel at CERN — the place where Sir Tim invented the World Wide Web — 70 years after CERN’s founding.
The event covered the importance of international collaboration and open science in advancing knowledge. Sir Tim and Raf Buyle participated in a panel discussing the evolution of the web, democratization of technology and emerging frontiers in AI. They were joined by leading thinkers, which included Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of CERN; Andy Yen, Founder/CEO of Proton; and, Nadia Carlsten, VP of Product at SandboxAQ.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the event:
Individuals face a lack of interoperability between platforms
Sir Tim originally invented the web for individual empowerment; individuals could contribute knowledge and learn from one other, linking across websites. It was purposefully constructed in this way for universality and to foster creativity.
“If you had to pick one key core thing about the web’s architecture, it had to be universality." —Sir Tim Berners-Lee
But the creativity the web once offered has since been lost. Web 2.0 saw the rise of data trapped by platforms, locked in siloes, and controlled by that platform rather than the individual. The frustrations this has caused are clear — increasing user resentment and distrust of corporations' management of their data. Collaboration is also impeded by this framework, as we have lost the ability to better connect with the rest of the world.
Developments from Solid and Inrupt are restoring individual empowerment
The panel discussed the Solid Protocol, an extension of HTTP, used by Inrupt among others, to provide interoperability across platforms and restore data ownership and control to the individual. Raf Buyle provided a concise overview of how the Flemish Government — through its Data Utility Company, Athumi — has used Solid to break down these data silos and restore empowerment to individuals. Raf described this as the paradigm shift that is required.
Flanders has created a platform that can provide Pods (personal online datastores) for every citizen. The first solution built on this platform was done in partnership with the human resources industry, enabling individuals to share their certifications with future employers. Rather than having to search for old certifications in their attic, individuals in Flanders can now use their Pod to connect their academic institution to their future employer, placing them in control of the data shared, and the time period for which they are shared — restoring individual empowerment over their data.
Raf shared two other innovative use cases for Solid:
- Connecting individuals' wearable data to a Pod so as to benefit from the insights, and allowing for individuals to choose to share this data (for specific time periods) with their doctor.
- Allowing individuals to benefit from the data of their home, connecting all data on their utilities to share with companies so as to provide them with more competitive pricing that is personalized.
Realizing this paradigm shift starts with a coalition of the willing and doing. Flanders provides a blueprint for other regions and governments to do the same and provide empowerment to individuals.
AI is personal
AI enables a shift from data sharing to insight sharing — but this relies on individual data. The data spectrum must be considered — from the very public to the very private data an individual holds. This data spectrum is unique to each individual. That’s where Pods come in — individuals can choose what information they are comfortable sharing, and what data they would prefer not to share.
As the AI revolution is turbocharged, individuals must be in control. Sir Tim discussed the need for an AI that ‘works for me,' just like a doctor or lawyer would. In a Pod, individuals can choose how their data is shared, analyzed and trained, ensuring that user consent is at the heart of operations.
Watch the full conversation here (panel begins at 1 hour 20 minutes)
Photograph: Cavazza, Marina
