AI's "Gutenberg" moment

Each technological revolution in printing has reconfigured the dissemination of human knowledge and shaped its modern evolution. By Xavier Comtesse & Pascal Eichenberger

An article available in AGEFI: https://agefi.com/actualites/opinions/le-moment-gutenberg-de-lia

The history of knowledge is a history intimately linked to the technological revolutions of printing.

First came writing engraved on stone, then parchment, and finally Gutenberg (1450): the revolution of the printing press with movable type, a small piece of metal, carefully crafted. By assembling these characters, the modern book was born. For the first time, knowledge could be mass-produced, emerging from monasteries and handwritten copies.

The book created the library . Knowledge was organized, centralized, and made accessible to a wider public, laying the foundations of modern education. It was a revolution in the quantity and accessibility of static information.

Next, a leap forward in time brings us to the advent of the Internet (1983), which shattered the physical barriers of the library. The basic unit is now the word (digital, hyperlink). It becomes instantly shareable, searchable, and dynamic. These words are organized into blogs (or websites). The role of author becomes democratized; anyone can publish their thoughts and ideas instantly.

We are entering the third great era, which no longer focuses on reproduction or sharing, but on synthesis and the extraction of meaning.

Blogs and websites connect and interact, giving rise to social networks. Knowledge is no longer simply stored; it flows continuously, is commented on, debated, and goes viral. We are emerging from this revolution of interactivity and dynamic information.

Where are we headed?

Today, we are entering the third major era: that of artificial intelligence (AI). It no longer focuses on reproduction or sharing, but on synthesis and the extraction of meaning. The basic unit becomes the concept. AI no longer works with characters or words alone, but with the ideas, patterns, and relationships they represent. Concepts are transformed and transmitted more intuitively, for example, through podcasts (or any other audiovisual format synthesized by or based on AI). Information becomes fluid, easily consumed, and hyper-personalized.

The ultimate goal is collective intelligence. Thanks to AI, ideas can be aggregated, analyzed, cross-referenced and synthesized on an unprecedented scale, allowing humanity to solve complex problems using the power of data and connected minds.

We have moved from the reproduction of knowledge (Gutenberg) to the intense circulation of knowledge (Internet) to the creation of knowledge (AI).

By Xavier Comtesse and Pascal Eichenberger