New Technology, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence

Abstract: Moore’s law, which has helped to explain the exponential growth achieved in traditional computational power over the past half-century, has been eschewed for Neven’s law. Neven’s law posits that quantum computing is advancing at a doubly exponential rate. Quantum computers possess the processing power required to analyze the incalculable amount of “big data” in existence today. Together, big data and quantum computing are driving advancements in machine learning, which in turn, helps to power artificial intelligence (AI). AI, computational power, and big data will accelerate the development of technologies that will alter how humans behave and communicate. Using these three technologies as a foundation, this chapter explores (i) the explosion and analysis of “big data,” (ii) the evolution of advanced AI, and (iii) the emergence of extended reality (XR). The impact of these technologies and trends on organizations, crisis communication theory and practice, and society at-large are discussed and supported with real-world examples.