SOCIAL PHYSICS AND AI

Data encryption and information exchange are perhaps the most weighted terms of this era. As the world transitions increasingly to online platforms and digital interfaces- especially post the physically compromising impact of the pandemic — we have come to become cognisant of the stakes of engaging with modern networks of idea flow. This is where social physics comes into play — with the aid and continuous development of big data, deep learning and computational technology.

Although the term was first introduced almost two centuries ago, it has taken on new meaning with the advent of data analytics. Social Physics, in its modern iteration, vouches for social cooperation and cultural advancement through the nuanced use of data-analysis, especially as more and more defining factors of our existence becomes quantifiable, through sophisticated advancements in technology, neuroscience, psychology and AI and data-collecting systems, transferring into social currency, altering the structure of markets and society.

It is easy to recognise the potential ethical constraints of such an enterprise. The boundaries defining and establishing the boundaries of security and privacy — and even propaganda — begin to blur more than ever, and concerns of surveillance are rightly at an all time high. In the context of social physics, this is doubly threatening, as people such as Pentland work on capturing, encoding and decoding intimate/ imitative physical and cognitive details (looks, inflection in tone, expressions). With so much behavioural data available in bulk, the capacity to influence social change at a mass level is a threat in itself. It raises questions of agency, transparency, governance and power dynamics, with institutions, companies and governments vying for control.

But the future is still hopeful. Given these legitimate concerns, what is important is to bear in mind the need for more efficient and sensitively designed models for social and economic progress, that have been built on mutual trust, through shared responsibility for a shared future. This would inevitably imply deliberation on measures that guarantee a certain level of protection and accountability, while navigating ethical constraints, maximising and regulating the flow of information.