The promise of the Internet, the black gold of data, artificial intelligence, cyber warfare: in four sections, a review of the recent disruptions caused by the emergence of the cyber world in our lives.

The prefix “cyber” comes from an ancient Greek word that means “to control.” But are we truly capable of mastering technologies that surpass us? Since 2016, with foreign interference in the US election, followed by events that hastened the advent of Brexit, cyber developments have taken an almost monopolistic place in our lives, both on a private level and on a societal scale. From the invention of the Internet to the new black gold of data, not to mention the current frenzy caused by the advancement of artificial intelligence and the growing importance of cyber warfare, which is currently at the forefront of Russia’s strategy against the West (following the old Soviet doctrine of the three Ds: “deception, denial, and disinformation”), this review covers the recent upheavals in our new “cyber world.”

At Full Speed

“As a society, we are in quite a mess on this planet.” This statement from a cyber expert perfectly summarizes the chaotic path that our postmodern societies seem to be hurtling down. Drawing on cinematic examples of technological excesses explored by Hollywood since “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the documentary by Shimon Dotan, co-written with Charles Ferguson (an Oscar winner in 2008 for his film “The Inside Job”), provides an overview of the rapid growth of the cyber world. Capitalism, driven to siphon off our privacy, bears significant responsibility in this regard. The documentary also focuses on artificial intelligence, the latest obsession of cyber priests, which engineers view as the cornerstone of augmented human intelligence. However, it is currently so poorly regulated that it raises concerns about all possible scenarios, including the worst.