I was invited by the FEU Alabang ACM Student Chapter to give the keynote in this morning’s SYNERGY 2022: Emerging Technologies Virtual Seminar. Here’s a copy of my speech…
15 October 2022 Good morning and thank you for having me! The word “synergy” traces its roots from two Greek terms: “sun” which means “together” and “ergon” which refers to “work”; when these two words are combined, we will have “sunergos” which literally translates to “working together” – which is the modern-day meaning of synergy. As we listen to our esteemed speakers lined up for today, we will see the synergy between the Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, the Blockchain, Metaverse, and Web 3.0. The synergy between the Internet of Things, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence is already changing the way we live our daily lives, travel, work, communicate, and do business. How many of us are using our smartphones or have voice-activated sensors at home? No need to point fingers at who will adjust the air-conditioning thermostat when all your family members are sleeping or sleepy. Wireless sensors (the modern-day remote controls) can easily handle tasks that were science fiction in yesteryears. Here at home, my kids now talk and give commands to Siri, Alexa, Cortana, and Google – virtual assistants that stand as a testament to how we can easily adapt to these new technologies. These are but one of the many use cases of IoT in our daily lives. According to McKinsey Global Institute, there are around 127 new IoT devices that connect to the Internet every second. From 13.5 billion active IoT devices, it is projected that three (03) years from now (in 2025), there will be a whopping 21.5 billion active IoT devices which easily translates to an almost US$2 trillion industry. Little did we know, we are actually helping the big tech companies in their Machine Learning projects. The moment that you check on your smartphone in the morning, you are helping your device manufacturer and OS maker to train their Artificial Intelligence through Machine Learning. AI needs Machine Learning as one of its critical components to improve its performance. When we talk about how we analyze Big Data and automatically extract information to make accurate predictions, that is Machine Learning. Innovation has brought us to new heights of launching the concepts behind the Blockchain, Metaverse, and Web 3.0. Don’t be fooled by those claiming that the Metaverse and Web 3.0 are one and the same. They are not! Web 3.0, or what some call simply Web3, rather than a mere technology is actually a revolutionary movement that capitalizes on decentralized protocols such as the Blockchain. It addresses the key issues of data ownership and control with the hopes of solving some of the major setbacks and shortcomings of the Internet as we know it today. One of Web 3.0’s key features is Blockchain technology where data is decentralized, open, and can be distributed so that users who have their data are free to trade them without worrying about losing ownership, losing privacy, nor to depend on intermediaries. The Blockchain also allows us to log in securely using the Internet without the fear of being tracked by anyone. We at Mozilla believe that the open, global Internet can serve as the catalyst to harmonize the synergy between the different emerging technologies that we know today. The Internet is the most powerful communication and collaboration resource we have ever seen. It embodies some of our deepest hopes for human progress and it enables new opportunities for learning, building a sense of shared humanity, and solving the pressing problems facing people everywhere. We created awesome open source products like Firefox to ensure and protect your privacy online. We at Mozilla, being a global non-profit organization, believe that privacy is fundamental to a healthy Internet. All of our products, aside from being open source, also give you greater control over the information you share online, as well as the information that you share with us. Our battle cry: “Privacy over Profit.” That is why we strive to collect only what we need to improve Firefox for everyone. As all tech companies collect data to improve their products, it doesn’t need to include so much of your personal information. The only data we want is the data that serves you in the end. We ask ourselves: do we actually need this? What do we need it for? And when can we delete it? Data security is complicated, which is why we take the extra steps to classify the data we have, maintain rules for how we store and protect each type, and never stop iterating on our processes. We prioritize your privacy by investing in and committing to it. As a matter of fact, we even teach other companies how to do it. Our business doesn’t depend on secretly abusing your trust. Our Privacy Notice is actually readable. Anyone in the world can attend our weekly company meetings. If you want to dig into every datapoint we collect, our code and the company as a whole is open. Over the last decade, we as an organization have seen this promise of an open, global Internet fulfilled in many ways. We have also seen the power of the Internet used to magnify divisiveness, incite violence, promote hatred, and intentionally manipulate fact and reality. We have learned that we should more explicitly set out our aspirations for the human experience of the Internet as an integral part of modern life -- a key component in education, communication, collaboration, business, entertainment, and society as a whole. Let us use the Internet of today as a tool for us to synergize. Sit back, relax, and enjoy learning throughout the rest of today. Maraming salamat po!
Thank you for having me! Sa uulitin.
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