Knowledge and Distributed Intelligence

• Published in: Science
• Main Author: Zare, Richard N.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1997
• Subjects: South pole
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.275.5303.1047; https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1126/science.275.5303.1047

In reading the pages of Science , I have been struck by the stunning progress being made in science and engineering—new phenomena discovered, new materials synthesized, new methods developed. What I see behind many of these exciting stories is the widespread and even revolutionary use of distributed intelligence that is made possible by the “wiring” of the scientific community. It is more than a time saver or a communication enhancer; it is enabling us to think in new ways and its impact on society may be monumental. Consider this random sampling of newspaper headlines: “Medical Schools Use Palmtop Computers to Improve Training,” “Web Site Allows Users to ‘Handle’ Specimens From Smithsonian,” “Laugh and Your Computer Will Laugh With You, Someday.” There's obviously something profound going on here, and it is more than just the Internet. Computational technologies are becoming more powerful and more portable. We can access more information at greater speeds and with greater facility than was previously imaginable. We can even remotely control sophisticated experiments—on a recent visit to the National Science Foundation's (NSF's) South Pole Station, I watched as astronomers in Wisconsin controlled an infrared telescope on site. As these advances in computing and communications coalesce, we begin to see their full potential for promoting progress in science and engineering and for driving economic growth and societal gain. The term “information age” probably does not do justice to the possibilities of this emerging era. This is an age of “knowledge and distributed intelligence,” in which knowledge is available to anyone, located anywhere, at any time; and in which power, information, and control are moving from centralized systems to individuals. This era calls for a new form of leadership and vision from the academic science and engineering community. We know from countless examples that academic science and engineering have enabled our society to make the most of new technologies. We wouldn't have today's ...