Article: The Post-Information Age

The Intelligent Age: A Report on Our New Reality

Part I: So, What Is This ‘Intelligent Age’ We’re Building?

How is this different from the Information Age?

For a long time, we’ve been focused on connecting people and giving them access to information. That was the Information Age. It was revolutionary. But we’re now moving into something new, something that I believe is even more profound. We’re building the Intelligent Age.

This isn’t just about more information. It’s about a fundamental shift from accessing data to integrating intelligence into everything we do.[1] This was the main conversation at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year.[2] The consensus was clear: this change is happening incredibly fast, and we all need to adapt—not gradually, but right now.[1, 3]

From Passive Tools to Active Partners

Think about it like this: AI is becoming the new electricity.[4] A hundred years ago, people had to think about how to use electricity. Today, we just live in a world powered by it. AI is heading in the same direction. Soon, we’ll stop thinking about “using AI” and just experience a world where intelligent systems make everything work better.[5]

The big change is that technology is moving from a passive tool to an active partner. In the Information Age, you had to pull information from a system, like searching on Google.[6] In the Intelligent Age, the system anticipates what you need and acts on its own. A smart fridge can order more milk [7], a logistics network can reroute packages around a storm [2], and an education platform can create a personalized lesson plan for a student in real time.[8] This changes our relationship with technology from one of command-and-response to one of delegation-and-oversight.

What’s fueling this engine?

This new era runs on two things: massive amounts of data and incredible computing power.

The Data Explosion

The amount of data we’re creating is hard to wrap your head around. This year, in 2025, the world is expected to generate 181 zettabytes of data.[9] To give you a sense of the scale, an estimated 90% of all the data in the world was created in just the last two years.[10, 9] Every single day, we generate about 402.74 million terabytes of new data.[9]

Where does it all come from?

• Video is the biggest driver, making up over 53% of all internet traffic.[9]
• Social media accounts for another 12.7%.[9]
• Online gaming adds almost 10%.[9]

The Physical Backbone

This data doesn’t just live in “the cloud.” It’s stored in huge, energy-intensive buildings called data centers. The U.S. leads here, with over 5,400 data centers—more than ten times the number in Germany or the UK.[9] The AI revolution requires so much specialized hardware and electricity that it’s becoming a major strategic issue for countries.[5] The International Energy Agency predicts that by 2026, the electricity used by data centers could equal the total energy consumption of Japan.[2] This makes the global competition for advanced computer chips and the push for sustainable energy not just economic or environmental issues, but critical for security and innovation.[9, 3]

Part II: How Is This Changing the Way We Work?

How are businesses using AI?

Companies are moving fast to adopt AI. As of this year, 78% of businesses are using AI in some way, a huge jump from 55% in 2024.[11] On average, a company now uses AI in three different departments, showing it’s becoming core to how they operate.[11]

This is happening across every industry, from tech (88% adoption) and professional services (80%) to healthcare (63%).[11] And it’s delivering real results. Companies report that AI is increasing revenue in marketing and sales (71% of companies) and driving major cost savings in areas like customer service (49%).[11]

Here are a few examples of what this looks like in the real world:

• Healthcare: The pharma company Insilico Medicine used AI to design a new drug and get it to human trials in under 18 months—a process that usually takes five to ten years.[12, 13]
• Manufacturing: General Motors is using AI to redesign car parts to be lighter and use less material, which cuts production costs.[12]
• Finance: The fintech company Klarna has an AI assistant that handles two-thirds of all customer service chats. It does the work of 700 full-time agents and solves most issues in under two minutes.[13]
• Retail: During Black Friday, retailers using AI chatbots saw a 15% higher conversion rate than those who didn’t.[14]

What about the ‘shallow integration’ problem?

But here’s the challenge: while many companies are using AI, very few are using it to its full potential. Many are in a “shallow integration” phase—using AI for simple tasks like writing emails, which 89% of small businesses do.[11] This is helpful, but it’s not transformative.

The data shows that only 1% of companies feel their AI rollout is “mature,” meaning it’s deeply integrated and delivering a major impact.[11] This gap between widespread use and deep integration is a huge strategic risk. A company might think it has adopted AI, but it’s vulnerable to a competitor that is rebuilding its entire business around it.

What does this mean for my job?

This is the question on everyone’s mind. The good news is that the World Economic Forum projects a net gain of 78 million jobs globally by 2030.[15, 16] But this top-line number hides a lot of disruption.

The New Career Ladder

The biggest risk is to white-collar, entry-level jobs. These have always been the first step on the career ladder, but AI is getting very good at the routine tasks that define this work. Projections show AI could replace over 50% of the tasks done by market research analysts and sales reps.[17] This threatens to break the traditional talent pipeline that develops future leaders.

This is creating a massive skills gap. Nearly 40% of the core skills for the average job are expected to change in the next five years.[16]

What skills do we need to build for the future?

To succeed, we need to focus on a new mix of skills. The most valuable skills are the ones that are uniquely human and hard for a machine to replicate.

These include:

• Analytical and Creative Thinking: As AI handles routine analysis, the ability to think critically and come up with new ideas becomes more important than ever.[16]
• Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Skills like empathy, communication, and collaboration are essential for leading teams and building relationships.[18]
• Resilience and Agility: In a world of constant change, the ability to adapt is critical.[16, 19]
• Lifelong Learning: The most important skill might be the mindset of a lifelong learner—always curious and ready to adapt.[18, 20]

How are companies preparing their people?

Companies get this. Upskilling is now a top priority for 83% of businesses.[21] In fact, 77% of employers are planning to invest in training their current workforce, because it’s much cheaper than hiring new people.[15, 16]

This has led to new ways of training:

• Large-Scale Commitments: Amazon, for example, has committed to providing free AI skills training to two million people by the end of this year.[22]
• Cohort-Based Training: Instead of learning alone, entire teams are trained together in short, intensive programs focused on real-world problems.[22]
• AI-Powered Learning: New platforms can create personalized training for each employee, adapting the content in real-time to make learning more efficient.[23, 21, 8]

In an era where 75% of employees are worried about losing their jobs to AI, offering high-quality training has become a powerful way to attract and keep the best people.[21]

Part III: What Is the Impact on People and Society?

Why is trust such a big challenge?

This is one of the most important issues we face. While companies are racing to adopt AI, public trust is low. A 2025 global study found that only 46% of people are willing to trust AI systems.[24, 25, 26, 27] This skepticism is growing as more people get exposed to the technology.

The Disinformation Problem

This trust gap is fueled by a massive wave of misinformation, which the World Economic Forum now calls the #1 global risk.[28] The biggest driver is the explosion of “deepfakes”—hyper-realistic fake videos and audio. The number of deepfakes is projected to hit 8 million this year, a huge jump from 500,000 in 2023.[29, 30] This isn’t a joke; it’s a real threat. Deepfake-related fraud attempts surged by 3,000% in 2023.[31]

This is also eroding trust in traditional news. In the U.S., trust in national news is at 67%, but there’s a huge partisan divide.[32] This is especially concerning because 64% of people under 30 now get their news mainly from social media or YouTube [33], platforms where fake content can spread like wildfire.

What is the ‘attention economy’ doing to us?

The platforms that define our digital lives are built to capture our attention, and this is having a real impact on our mental health.

Since 2010, as smartphones and social media became universal, rates of major depression among teens in the U.S. have skyrocketed—up 161% for boys and 145% for girls.[6] This isn’t a coincidence. These platforms are designed to make us compare ourselves to others. Internal research from one company showed they knew their platform “make[s] body image issues worse for one in three teen girls”.[6]

This has created a loneliness paradox. You’d think platforms that “connect” us would make us feel less lonely. But a study from the University of Pennsylvania found the opposite: high usage of social media increases feelings of loneliness and isolation.[7] The reason is that we’re wired for real, face-to-face connection. Digital interaction is like junk food for our social brains—it gives us a short-term hit but leaves us feeling empty.[4, 7]

How can we design for a better future?

The good news is that these problems are the result of design choices, which means we can make different choices. This is about building a culture of “digital wellness” and “Positive Computing.”

Taking Back Control

For individuals, this means using technology with intention. Some simple strategies include:

• Set Boundaries: Create “screen-free zones” in your home, like the bedroom or at the dinner table.[34, 3]
• Curate Your Feed: Actively unfollow accounts that make you feel bad and seek out content that inspires or educates you.[34, 35, 36]
• Use Tech to Manage Tech: Use the built-in tools on your phone to track your screen time and set limits for certain apps.[35, 37, 3]

Building Better Products

There’s also a movement to build products that prioritize well-being over engagement. This is about designing for “time well spent”.[38] Some great examples include:

• Duolingo: Uses fun, game-like features to make learning a new language feel rewarding, not frustrating.[39, 5]
• Blinkist: Respects your time by giving you 15-minute summaries of books in a clean, simple interface.[5]
• Airbnb: Is built from the ground up to create trust, with features like verified profiles and a two-way review system that reduce the anxiety of staying in a stranger’s home.[39, 5]

These companies show it’s possible to build successful products that are empowering and respectful.

Part IV: How Do We Build a Responsible Future?

How should we govern this technology?

As we build this new age, we need a new set of rules. Right now, the world is divided on how to approach this.

The European Union has taken the lead with its AI Act, a comprehensive law that regulates AI based on risk.[40, 38] But its implementation is facing challenges, and there are reports of potential delays as of June 2025 because the technical standards needed for compliance aren’t ready.[41, 42]

The United States, on the other hand, has shifted its approach. In January 2025, the new administration rescinded a previous executive order focused on safety and replaced it with one that prioritizes deregulation and U.S. competitiveness.[38, 43] With no federal law, a patchwork of state-level laws is emerging, with all 50 states introducing AI-related bills.[38, 44]

This has created a global clash between two different philosophies: the EU’s rights-based approach versus the U.S.’s market-driven, “permissionless innovation” model.[11, 20, 22] This isn’t just a policy debate; it’s a struggle over the values that will shape the future of technology.

How do we make sure no one is left behind?

For the Intelligent Age to be a success, its benefits have to be for everyone. But we face two big challenges.

First is the digital divide. As of this year, 2.6 billion people—nearly a third of the world’s population—still don’t have internet access.[45] This includes 60% of the world’s primary schools.[45]

Second is the AI literacy gap. Being literate today means more than just reading and writing. It means being able to understand and engage with a digital, information-rich world.[46] The Intelligent Age requires an even higher level of competency: AI literacy. This is the ability to think critically about AI systems, understand their limits, and recognize their potential for bias.[17] We have a long way to go here. A recent report found that almost half of young adults scored poorly on their ability to evaluate the shortfalls of AI.[47]

What’s the path forward?

Navigating this new era requires all of us—individuals, companies, and governments—to be proactive.

For Individuals:

• Be a Lifelong Learner: The most important thing you can do for your career is to always be learning. Focus on uniquely human skills like creativity and EQ, and also learn how to use AI as a tool to make you better.[18, 20]
• Practice Digital Wellness: Take control of your digital life. Set boundaries with your devices and prioritize real-world connections.[25, 26]

For Business Leaders:

• Go for Deep Integration: Don’t just use AI for simple tasks. Find the core parts of your business that can be fundamentally transformed by it.
• Lead on Trust: In a world of low trust, being a responsible company is a huge advantage. Be transparent about how you use AI and build ethics into your products from the start.[38, 48]

For Policymakers:

• Close the Literacy Gap: We need a national mission to reform education and ensure everyone has the digital and AI skills to succeed.[49, 17]
• Foster Responsible Innovation: We need smart, agile governance that brings everyone to the table—industry, academia, and government—to create rules that protect people without stifling innovation.[31, 38] We should also fund research into “Positive Computing” to ensure technology is built to solve our biggest challenges and improve well-being.[50, 19, 51, 52]

We’re at the beginning of a new chapter. If we build it with intention, with a focus on people and our shared values, I believe the Intelligent Age can unlock a future with more opportunity and connection for everyone.

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