But the importance of Meta in the context of making science accessible to everyone is anchored in its AI-driven technology. Thousands of scientific papers are published every day, and the sheer volume of available data means it’s hard to whittle it down to what’s most important to individual studies. Ultimately, access is just one part of the challenge. For access to information to truly empower the scientific community, one has to be able to systematically analyze and review all the available data available. That’s where Meta comes in. It can easily find the most relevant material that will further the research in a fraction of the time it would take a human.

Eoin Treacy's view

Isaac Newton is reputed to have said “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” He successfully built on the work of those who had come before him. One of the greatest challenges in human history has not only been to come up with ingenious solutions to difficult problems, but to also ensure we don’t forget or lose them. 

The printing press allowed us to duplicate manuscripts which reduced the risk of losing knowledge. The internet has been a similarly disruptive innovation for a whole range of reasons but perhaps most important is that by distributing availability of knowledge it further reduces the risk it will be lost. With so much research now being conducted, the evolution of artificial intelligence to greatly enhance the ability of researchers to find the shoulders of giants on which to stand is a further iteration of this trend. 

The commercial viability of artificial intelligence is coming hot on the heels of the internet from an historical perspective and represents a powerful tailwind for the continued acceleration of technological innovation.