The Hyperpower of Informatics

Only recently have we begun to appreciate the radical degree to which informatics—the science of computers and algorithms—is transforming modern society. In this lively and accessible survey of its foundations and implications, Gérard Berry shows how information and data have come to occupy a central role not only in our technologies and sciences, but also in our daily lives. This growing dominance of smart devices, algorithms, and networked data, he argues, has helped usher in a new technological paradigm that cannot be fully grasped with the materialist mathematical and scientific models of the twentieth century alone. Consequently, we are living in an era of unevenly distributed understanding and mastery—and thus power. To correct this imbalance and puncture some widespread misapprehensions about information technology, The Hyperpower of Informatics examines and explains the informatics underpinnings of everyday operations like email, digital photography, and peer-to-peer file sharing; emergent technological trends including cryptocurrencies and autonomous vehicles; and specialized areas such as medical imaging and mathematical research. Also attentive to the proliferation of programming bugs and security holes and the critical systems that may hang in the balance, Berry takes a holistic perspective of informatics and its growing prominence in a continually shifting landscape. Filled with in-depth illustrations related with wit and verve, The Hyperpower of Informatics is an essential companion for investigating and demystifying the role of informatics in all aspects of the contemporary world. Gérard Berry is a professor emeritus at the Collège de France, where he directed the chair of Algorithms, Machines, and Languages until 2019, and previously the chairs of Informatics and Digital Sciences and Technical Innovation. He is a member of the Académie des Sciences, the Académie des Technologies, and the Academia Europaea. He is a recipient of the gold medal from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).