It is commonly known that the information age consists of a historical period that began between the middle and end of the 20th century, more specifically between the 1950s and 1970s. This era is characterized by a rapid change in traditional industries, established during the Industrial Revolution, for an economy centered on information technology. Currently, with the beginning of the 19th century and the direction of the economy towards digital and artificial technologies, everything indicates that we are entering a new historical period, specifically the digital and artificial era. With the evolution of «Web 1.0» to «Web 4.0» and the emergence of new disruptive technologies, the use of computer systems has expanded at an even faster pace, with recent technological advances. In the «financial technology» («FinTech») and «decentralized finance» («DeFi») sector, advances in distributed ledger «technologies» («DLTs») stand out. In the sector of «immersive» and «sensorial» technologies, «digital reality» and the «metaverse», essentially in terms of «digital sensory interaction» and «extended reality» («XR»), i. e. «virtual» («VR»), «augmented» («AR») and «mixed» («MR») reality. In the «artificial intelligence» («AI») sector, mainly in terms of «general-purpose AI» («GAI» or «GPAI»), «foundations models» («FMs»), «largue language models» («LLMs»), «natural language processing» (NLP), «generative AI» («GenAI»), computer vision and predective analysis.

All of these sectors promise to revolutionize the way society interacts with technology (and vice versa). In addition to this type of technologies improving the user experience in terms of efficiency, they also present functionalities and characteristics to boost multiple sectors at a dizzying speed and at a rate that exceeds all predictions, including in sectors associated with other disruptive concepts or technologies, such as «data science», «data», & «big data», «cloud, edge & spatial computing», «internet of things» («IoT»), «smart cities», «brain-computer interfaces» («BCIs»), «quantum technologies», «robotics», «autonomous systems» & «intelligent automation», among others. On the other hand, and inevitably, the «dizzying speed» of development in all these sectors could result in an equally «dazzling» increase in the scale and scope of «cybercrime» & «neurocrime» hacking methods. Imagine that these technologies reach the widely predicted potential.

In the next 15 to 20 years, everything will be directly connected. New virtual worlds and even new countries will be (re)created in digital version in the multiverse of metaverses. «Central bank digital currency» («CBDC») will be the only legal tender. Smart cities will be connected through IoT, with CCTVs in every corner, highly equipped with facial recognition and intelligent sensory systems. Drones and AI-based humanoid police robots will patrol streets and buildings. AI-based industrial robots will produce any and all types of goods. Universities teaching processes will be will be remote and mostly based on AI. Most organizations will not even have workers or physical spaces, being autonomous, digital and operated through AI systems. Businesses will be digital, within the scope of the metaverse and developed by autonomous digital and AI-based companies. Workplaces will be virtually all digital. People will spend practically their entire day (and night) in the metaverse, which will be increasingly developed and immersive. People will be able to choose to go out into the physical environment in the form of holograms, which makes it possible to be present in meetings and work spaces and even move freely anywhere on our planet and, of course, without leaving home. The line that will separate VR, AR and MR will become increasingly smaller. The same happens with the line that will separate physical reality from digital reality. In daily tasks, people will be assisted by portable and wearable technologies (in many cases invisible) or even by AI-based humanoid domestic robots. In the decisions they make, they will be assisted by AI through voice assistants or even through neural interface technology, with a view to merging human consciousness with AI. In general, every time people establish a connection with the metaverse, a neural connection will be initiated. Digital sensory interaction will make people feel increasingly comfortable connected to the metaverse, which is the reality that new generations will know best. As a consequence of this digital life, people will always be surrounded by cameras, microphones and interface systems. Including from birth, as embryonic development will occur exclusively through artificial incubators. In fact, many people will choose to create and cultivate affective or loving relationships with their AI-based humanoid domestic robot. Domestic animals themselves will be replaced by artificial animals.

Everything will be digital or artificial. As such, our own thoughts will not be safe, as whenever we connect to the metaverse and/ or activate any type of neural interface technology, we will be an open book. In this scenario, the use of computer systems is not limited to the social, professional and economic domain, as it extends to the psychological and biological domain. The «stunning» increase in the scale and scope of hacking will be increasingly noticeable. Ultimately, with the evolution of cybercrime, this use will affect the human brain and mind itself, in the form of «neurocrime» and in the form of «neurohacking». The EU seems to be paying attention to this digital and artificial transition.

This article is part of the «Sypar Whitepaper 2024», which was published on January 4, 2024 and can be downloaded here.