Issue 38: Best of 2019
Welcome to Backstory, a weekly newsletter turning global technology shifts into a three-minute read. This week we’re reviewing our favourite pieces of 2019 – Mary Ames, Director of Strategy
THE BIG TAKE
Best of 2019
It’s been a wonderful and challenging year. The pace of technological change ramped up as innovations in everything from smart cities to blockchain hit light speed. At the same time, debates heated up about the role of tech in our lives and how best to regulate data.
As we enter the final week of the year, we’re looking back on our favourite articles published on Xische Reports and in this newsletter. Next week’s Backstory, which lands on New Year’s Day, will look back on the trends that defined the last decade. For now, enjoy this special season. We can’t wait to start the next decade together.
Given the innovation taking place in artificial intelligence (AI), we engaged with the sector throughout the year on Xische Reports.
Instead of looking at AI research through the prism of competition, we argued that we should collaborate to push the technology forward.
Art is subjective, reactionary, and culturally specific. AI is objective, mathematical, and universal. What happens when the two collide?
While the price of Bitcoin was volatile as ever, blockchain technology had one of its best years on record.
Of all the applications for blockchain, fitness tracking and health solutions really perked our interest in 2019.
The global remittance market is ripe for disruption, and Facebook is angling for entry with its own blockchain digital currency. Throughout the year, we argued it’s time for regional players to make a move.
One issue we couldn’t avoid in 2019 was data. We’re producing more of it than ever before and that means the debate over how to protect it heated up this year.
With debates about data regulation raging, we found an easy solution: innovation.
As consumers learn about their data and its myriad uses, we found the idea behind data dignity worthy of more discussion.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“If everything on earth were rational, nothing would happen.”
Fyodor Dostoevsky, writer
With all this talk about technology, we devoted some serious thought to what it means to be reliant on tech all the time. How has digital culture changed society?
A personal favourite in the office was the rise of paper goods as an escape from too much smartphone usage. Many of us still yearn for the luxury of paper.
We also found solace in the serendipity of libraries. Shifting through the stacks of a library or a bookshop, you’re bound to find something you weren’t looking for.
One of the joys in thinking through critical issues in technology and governance in the UAE is watching the rise of small states. What we like to call industry 4.0 is an exploration into how small states are leveraging disruptions in the global economy to emerge as unlikely leaders.
In one of the last pieces of the year, we explored how the state of California can look to smaller countries for help in innovating solutions to serious challenges.
As always, we devoted special attention to smart cities. The topic is a favourite because it encompasses all the strands of what we write about from technology to governance.
In our first annual smart cities index, we set out to determine which cities are the best at adapting technology and highlighting the human experience; where collaboration thrives; and which cities remain true to their roots.
SPOTTED ELSEWHERE
Print’s not dead: As print publications around the world continue to fold because of the overwhelming power of digital, newspapers have come to represent a unique entrepreneurial spirit. Consider the Skagway Times, a newspaper that serves the 1,000-person town of Skagway, Alaska. The paper’s publisher announced he was willing to sell the operation for the unbeatable price of $0. The only catch is that a prospective buyer has to be ready to live in Skagway year-round and maintain the paper’s 40-year legacy of small-town reporting. This type of commitment highlights the spirit of dedication needed across any sector, not just the dying print business of news.
It’s all about location: It’s funny how easy it is for us to hand over our data without even batting an eyelash these days. You know all those apps that require location data to function properly? Well, it turns out they’ve created detailed pictures of people’s daily lives. The New York Times gained access to some of the data and it makes for a harrowing story. Definitely worth a read over the break and it’s not a bad idea to check up on those location settings on your phone as well.