Darwinism in the Information Space

The information technology space is, according to Atos’ raison d’être, the space where our data and information circulate, where they are stored and processed. Like land, sea, air and space, it is not inert, but conquered and shaped by people.

Algorithms are at the core of this shaping. Any digital system is made up of hundreds of thousands of enmeshed algorithms, embodied in operating systems, scripts, applications, business processes, user interfaces, network protocols, APIs, cloud services, machine learning models, digital control loops – everywhere in fact. As these systems become more and more complex, they embed more and more algorithms and execute more and more instructions, to perform never-ending new digital services that deeply shape our digital world. Today’s algorithms, in what is called artificial intelligence (AI), are even able to solve the kinds of problems previously reserved for humans, like driving cars or diagnosing diseases. The rate of progress is so high that it raises many concerns about its impact on human societies.