The Neolithic was the technological revolution that gave rise to our civilization: the institutions of society, family, commerce, property, agriculture and writing were born from a scientific transformation that made agriculture possible, which made human settlements and complex social forms possible. It was the industrial revolution symbolized by Watt’s steam engine, which transformed it and gave rise to the political ideas by which we continue to be governed. Along with this revolution falls what we know as Ancient Regime, and Western democracies are born. Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a revolution of at least similar magnitude to the previous ones.
For those who have doubts about the above, let us keep in mind that five data centers can house all the accumulated knowledge and information of humanity until 1978; that instead we would need several thousand of them to house all the knowledge and data accumulated until 2018, and that however we need more than a million to house the knowledge and data until September 2023.
But it was not the tools for agriculture or the mechanized looms of Manchester that gave rise to the social transformations of previous centuries, but the speed of knowledge transfer that they made possible. The same thing happens today, with the difference that the disintermediation of knowledge is exponentially greater in frequency, volume and quality of information.
By being aware of this transformation, it is no longer possible to continue looking at current reality through the same lens as 200 years ago, since there is a risk of losing the understanding of society, generating a political (and economic) message decoupled from reality. This could well be the explanation for the astonishment and surprise in front of the yellow vests of 2018, the paralysis of President Piñera’s government in the face of the social outbreak in Chile in 2019, and certainly the rise of Javier Milei from a corner of Congress to the first magistracy in just two years.
The effects of this technological changeare multiple and incredibly close to people, such as the certain possibility that the speed of circulation of information will influence the speed with which Argentina’s economic adjustment proposed by the Milei administration is carried out, and that this will not last. 18 months but 9 or less months, due to the speed with which information is disseminated and processed, generating social and economic consensus that is accepted more quickly in society.
Likewise, the demand for transparency and accountability has increased. As the adage goes, what is not measured does not exist: citizens expect two magic words from this great change: auditability of decisions and traceability of the administration’s actions. Citizens aspire to analyze and criticize government policies, almost in real time.
The crucial question for Argentina then is: how can we use this technological revolution to redefine the Argentine economy and its social fabric, in order to achieve prosperity and growth?
Indeed, Argentina’s digital transformation brings with it the potential for a new dialogue, in which the State commits to transparency and interoperability between administrative bodies, for the benefit of achieving greater efficiency by ensuring the conditions for the economic growth that citizens demand, while At the same time, they accept a greater commitment to comply with legal, tax and fiscal obligations, thus establishing a new social pact.
The above requires certain minimums, such as that the leaders of civil society, not only politicians, but social, business and cultural leaders – be up to date with the current times, and stop thinking that the “now” It is resolved by looking at reality with the same lenses as those of 90 years ago. It is also required that they not only see digital transformation as an economic tool, which generates new value chains, and an economy much larger in size and quality, but as a means to strengthen democracy, ensure governability and provide civil society. of control and supervision tools of the authorities.
Argentina faces a historic opportunity, in the words of Alan Turing: “We can only see a little of the future, but enough to realize that there is a lot to do.” This change goes beyond technology, opening paths to reshape the economy and strengthen democracy.
In this new context, the speed of information disintermediation is crucial: Argentina has the opportunity to lead unprecedented social and economic progress through innovation and collaboration.
Miguel Papic is Founder of Avoncourt (IA) and president of the Human Freedom Foundation
by Miguel Papic
