The Ascent Of Information

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Your information has a life of its own, using you to achieve its goals. Humans uniquely carry vast amounts of information outside their biological selves. In our rush to manage the 20 quintillion bits we create daily, we often overlook why we expend so much energy and resources to maintain this data. Drawing from evolutionary biology, computer science, information theory, and astrobiology, Caleb Scharf posits that information is, in a sense, alive. The data we generate—emails, tweets, selfies, A.I. text, and cat videos—forms an aggregate lifeform with its own needs and goals, influencing our behavior and well-being. This evolving relationship with information presents a new perspective on our world; data is not merely a byproduct of our existence but a fundamental reason for it. This idea challenges our understanding of technology, our human roles, and the essence of life itself. The text offers a humbling vision of a universe constructed from and for information, examining how our connection with data will shape our evolution as a species. Recognizing this relationship is vital for ensuring that our data serves as an asset rather than a burden, safeguarding the potential for a human future.