Have you ever pondered what lies beyond the information age? What exists beyond the realms of data, information, and knowledge, the pillars of this era?
As advanced AI algorithms and highly scalable intelligent machines begin to spearhead our quest for knowledge, it seems we might be rapidly approaching the boundaries of what we can know.
Isn’t it inevitable that everything that can be known by humans will eventually be transformed into data and knowledge by these intelligent machines? So, what follows? What lies beyond the realm of the known?
While this might sound philosophical, it doesn’t have to be. The exponential growth and scale of computing power, as exemplified by machines like the NVIDIA DGX GH200 AI Supercomputer, Meta’s AI Research SuperCluster (RSC), and the US DOE Perlmutter, could soon allow us to visualize the entirety of the known dimension, a task that would have taken many generations. This could truly make one wonder about what lies beyond the known.
In Eastern philosophy, this has been a long-studied topic, with entire schools of thought and specialized practices developed to explore dimensions beyond the known. Notably, Adi Shankara (c. 700 – c. 750 CE) and Osho (1931-1990 AD) have made significant contributions in this area. They referred to these as the “unknowns” and “unknowables” – realms where data and knowledge become irrelevant and are left far behind. It has long been understood that common “knowledge” only scratches the surface of our existence. The human experience delves much deeper, encompassing emotions, awareness, boredom, love, meaninglessness, and many more qualities that cannot be mathematically modeled or incorporated into robots.
As these powerful machines continue to learn, organize, and optimize the universe of knowledge, bringing us closer to the edges of the known, humans may eventually need to worry less about data, information, and knowledge! Perhaps we can all take a break, relax, and enjoy the lighter side of life (see the cartoon)! Maybe the unknown and unknowable dimensions will provide enough challenges to propel humanity into the next grand adventure beyond the so-called information age? *NOTE: “UU Things” is a fictional entity.
