CYCLE 4 — TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR DIGITAL LEGACY

ABOUT THIS SESSION

 

A few years ago my mother fell ill with an aggressive form of cancer that destroyed many of her nerves in a matter of hours. I spent over a month with her in the hospital, in one of those disorienting dilemmas that forces you into a long cycle of reflection and eventual transformation. The result: the new me is very aware of my mortality. I think about it often, sometimes with fear, but most of the time with acceptance. It is wild to think that we will all be dying at some point or another.

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Enter annoying AI into the conversation. Obviously.

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Most of the interactions we have with our interconnected digital devices leave some kind of trace. Call it emails, posts, calls, texts, that random app you opened once, or even the way your phone records your physical movements. In this era of constant human–computer interaction (via smartphones and other ubiquitous devices) most of your moves are being monitored, recorded, and possibly analyzed. This means, yes, your data will outlive you, and you will most likely be “resuscitated” using it in the future through specialized AI models. Many folks agree, including people with vast amounts of money to shape the tech landscape, that the odds of that not happening are pretty slim.

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So, dear friend, it is clear that the only way for us to close our learning module on AI and the Digital Environment is by urging you to take control of your digital legacy. Approaching the digital environment with intentionality (understanding it’s the way you’ll be remembered) is the ultimate reflection I want you to have. The decisions you make right now, such as the type of data you leave behind or the companies you trust with that data, will determine the quality of your future digital self, the one that will interact with your descendants.

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Maybe it is my own transformation that pushes me to see how crucial this idea is for our collective future. Interestingly enough, after more than a decade, my mother still lives, dreams, and works, even though she has been left with profound chronic health challenges. She was transformed physically; I was transformed mentally and spiritually. This talk you’re about to see is a tribute to that still ongoing transformative process.