?? Digital Transformation: Shaping Our Future Together ??

What kind of future do we want to create? Here are some ideas from the round table I participated at, during the Digitial Week event organised by Université C?te d’Azur, and also from the event about how to put AI to work for living beings organized by CJD Nice C?te d'Azur and Fondation Université C?te d'Azur .

Digital transition is essential in today's rapidly evolving world, driven by the exponential growth of data collected in healthcare, administrative sectors, and through individual devices like smartwatches. As GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft) continue to dominate the market, they offer user-friendly devices that are not always aligned with ethical use. This raises significant concerns about data privacy and ethical standards, making digital literacy and awareness crucial for everyone.

Whether we embrace it or not, digital transformation is unstoppable. The real choice lies in how we engage with it. Will we be informed, active participants or passive observers? The responsibility is ours.

1. The Necessity and challenges of Digital Transition

The digital age is characterized by the increasing volume of data generated and collected. According to IDC,

• The global datasphere will grow from 45 zettabytes in 2019 to 175 zettabytes by 2025
• in 2025, 46% of the world's stored data will reside in public cloud environments

Data growth

LEK reports that "the total amount of global healthcare data is projected to increase from 2300 to 10800 exabytes". To understand the volume it represents, have a look at this illustration about comparative scale of bytes.

Especially, healtchare data is "growing faster than data from other industries such as manufacturing, financial services, and media". You can find more insights in rbccm article, especially about the compound annual growth rate between 2018 and 2025 in different sectors (healthcare, manufacturing, financial service, media and entertainment) compared with the global data sphere.

Similarly, individual devices such as smartwatches continuously collect personal health and activity data, contributing to the ever-growing data pool. To get detailed insights about the evolution of IoT tools, please read this article.

GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft) facilitate this increased data usage with user-friendly devices, but their market dominance raises ethical concerns and potential data misuse. For example, Maximilian SCHREMS filed complaints against Facebook starting in 2011, alleging violations of EU data protection laws. He continues to advocate for stricter data privacy regulations under GDPR, impacting global discussions on privacy rights and tech company practices.

Data warehouse: impacts on private data regulation and evnrionment

Increasing Needs for cybersecurity

With the growing demand for data storage, cybersecurity needs are also escalating, as highlighted in Seagate's "Data Age 2025" report.

Impact on the environment

Furthermore, the environmental impact of massive data centers cannot be overlooked. The increasing energy consumption and carbon footprint of these facilities necessitate sustainable practices. Watch this video provided by world economic forum.

For more insights, read "how big is the CO2 footprint of AI models? ChatGPT's emissions".

In this article (by HuaweiTeam blog), authors give some advice for green data storage.

Individual applications

The performances of AI are undeniably amazing and GAFAM propose helpful tools based on AI.

However, individual applications also contribute to the challenge, as extensive screen time has been linked to negative physical and mental health effects, such as poor posture and depression, as discussed in this article.

Educating the public about data privacy, ethical considerations, and the implications of their digital footprints is vital. UNESCO and the World Economic Forum emphasize the importance of digital education to ensure informed and responsible use of technology . Please, watch this video provided by the World Economic Forum.

Designing new technologies should involve a holistic approach, considering technological, ethical, political, economic, and environmental perspectives. Let's see how we should perform digital transition and why we are all concerned.

2. Ensuring Inclusive Digital Transition

To achieve a successful digital transition, it must be inclusive and diverse, encompassing all users and professionals involved. Digital literacy is essential not only for effective use of these technologies but also for understanding their potential impacts. Educating the public about data privacy, ethical considerations, and the implications of their digital footprints is crucial. UNESCO and the World Economic Forum emphasize the importance of digital education to ensure informed and responsible technology use.

Empowering Final Users

• Inclusivity in Technology Use: Every individual should be empowered to participate in the digital society and utilize new technologies, irrespective of gender, culture, or disability. Despite Europe's Digital targets for 2030, one third of Europeans still lack basic digital skills, and up to 80% struggle with digital technologies at different levels.
• Designing Future Tools: Users should also be involved in the design process of future technologies to ensure they cater to diverse needs and perspectives.

Data Education: Transparency in data practices, such as those outlined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is essential. Users must be educated about their data rights and the transparency of data usage. Have a look at Markus Frischhut 's presentation about digital ethics and EU common values.

Empowering IT Professionals and Managers

• Multidisciplinary Teams: The development and management of digital technologies should involve multidisciplinary teams, including experts in ethics, ergonomics, regulation, business, and technology.
• Health Data Sovereignty: The use of platforms like Microsoft Azure for health data storage raises concerns. Ensuring data is stored and managed in ways that respect national sovereignty and privacy is crucial. For French speakers, read this article (March 2024) to learn more about the latest descisions about the French program Health Data Hub and the solutions of data storage.

Empowering women in digital transition

Have a look at my previous article on this topic.

3. Changing Our Mindset for the Future: what is the cost/benefit ratio of digitalization?

To harness technology for a collective vision, we need a paradigm shift. Digital tools hold incredible potential for collective growth in sectors like education and healthcare. In this paragraph, i'll share with you some topical issues and keys for letting you make your mind.

• What is the point of autonomous vehicles when we target to reduce carbon footprint?

Then, we should consider the finality: it could be necessary in rural communities under some conditions. This would minimize the question about the risks of accidents when the autonomous car could be involved since the conditions would be highly constrained. Here is a concrete example about how to realise such a project: https://imredd.fr/en/projet/territories-autonomous-shuttles-chair/. IMREDD - Université C?te d'Azur Eric DUMETZ

• What about visiting virtually a city instead of taking a long-flight and prevent preserved areas from being destroyed by tourists?

In this article, digitalization is seen as a game changer for tourism with eco-friendly travel. However, let's not forget that virtual tourism has its limitations and may not be as better as it may look.

• What is the environmental impact of electricity consumption?

ElectricityMap is a platform that provides real-time data on the carbon intensity of electricity generation worldwide. It is promoting awareness and encouraging shifts towards cleaner energy sources. For French speakers, I invite you to listen to the episode of Horizon-IA , dedicated to this applications, presented by Olivier Corradi .

I invite you to follow Team for the Planet (https://team-planet.com/fr) and Data for Good (https://dataforgood.fr/).

• What about using I-pad instead of books to limit the forest destruction?

Research indicates that excessive use of smartphones can lead to poor physical posture and mental health issues such as depression and addiction. In response, some Northern countries are removing tablets from schools to mitigate these risks. In France, initiatives are being proposed to reduce screen time, emphasizing the need to integrate technology responsibly into daily life.

For additional fuel for thought, I invite you to read Cities leading the way towards a digital future centred on people.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the digital transition is not just about adopting new technologies but about integrating them into society in a way that is inclusive, ethical, and sustainable. This requires education, collaboration, and a commitment to designing technologies that serve the collective good.

For additional insights about future applications, read this article.

I would like to thank Marie-Nathalie JAUFFRET (PhD) , Miranda Boldrini , Markus Frischhut, Carlos Juiz, Philippe Rouchy , Adel BEN YOUSSEF and Adelina Zeqiri for the insightful discussions we had during the Digital Week on these topics.