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One of the most esteemed scientists in the world reflects on how important data has become in the 21st century and the modern iteration of the internet
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Tim Berners-Lee predicted how important data would be in the modern world
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As the web blossomed from the seeds that Tim Berners-Lee planted nearly 40 years ago, it has become a very different place with all kinds of challenges arising in the intervening years. Chief among these challenges has been handling the exponential growth in information that has flowed between devices, servers and systems.
"IT professionals have a responsibility to understand the use of standards and the importance of making Web applications that work with any kind of device. They need to take the view that data is a precious thing and will last longer than the systems themselves."— Tim Berners-Lee, June 2012When data was the new oil
Much has been said about the importance of data in the modern world, with data scientist Clive Humby likening it to oil; raw data is valuable but worthless if unrefined – and, if harnessed, can power modern businesses.
Quote of the dayThis article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in years gone by. Read the full series here.
Just as Humby popularized this phrase, BCS, the Chartered Institute of IT interviewed Tim Berners-Lee on a variety of subject areas, including professionalism in the IT industry.
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Here, the inventor of the World Wide Web touched on how IT professionals and designers must consider data essential to how they build the systems of the future.
Data forever
Regardless of the hardware, software and applications that have come and gone in recent years, it's very much data that is at the heart of what's been keeping the web – and the wider technology world – ticking in the last few decades. This swelling ocean of information has persisted, despite plenty of these systems falling by the wayside.
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We now see that this data is powering the next wave of systems, namely generative AI and AI agents. Using data scraped from the internet and other sources, these systems are gearing up to offer new and as-of-yet-unseen features of businesses and employees across the world. It's certain that, regardless of future innovation, data will be at the heart of it.
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Keumars Afifi-SabetFreelance ContributorKeumars Afifi-Sabet is a freelance contributor for Tech Radar and the Technology Editor for Live Science. He has written for a variety of publications including ITPro, The Week Digital and ComputerActive. He has worked as a technology journalist for more than five years, having previously held the role of features editor with ITPro. In his previous role, he oversaw the commissioning and publishing of long form in areas including AI, cyber security, cloud computing and digital transformation.
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