The Complete Guide to Understanding the Nature of 'Information'
When you Study Nature of Information things get Weird
The Paradox of Information
There is something profoundly mysterious and profound about Information.
You see, Information is not trivial or merely passive.
Information is paradoxical.
It is simultaneously far more than it is and far less than it is.
Information also has causal powers!
It can turn us into magicians who speak words, that trigger software, that turns on the lights, calls an Uber and puts our World into motion.
It powers and moves our world forward via information technology, and at the same time, without you, information would be inherently meaningless.
It is meaningless until you come in contact with it, and only then will it become meaningful.
Its meaning can illuminate and give rise to new ways of understanding our World.
All of this has the Physicist asking and wondering if Information is a foundational block of reality.
If reality at its core is Information, and if Information can lead us to the ultimate source of everything.
With this, let’s journey into the deep end of what Information is and how a deeper understanding can give us insight into the full scope of the Information Age, where we are now, and where we are going next.
What we will explore:
Part 1: What is the nature of Information?: The objective scientific view on Information
Part 2: Information in People & Consciousness: Subject view of how we experience it and how it affects us
Part 3: Information in AI Systems & Technologies: How Information Works in Technology, AI, and where we are headed next.
Part 4: Society & Culture Implications of AI & Information: How the Information Age is impacting society and where we are headed next.
Part I: What is the Nature of Information?
Have you ever wondered, ‘What information is?’.
Here is how Webster's Dictionary defines information:
Information: (1) Facts or organized data about something or someone and (2)content conveyed or represented by a particular arrangement or sequence of things.
However, this is only a very surface-level understanding.
When we dive deeper, we see that there are four types of Information:
Information about something (e.g., a train timetable)
Information as something (e.g., DNA or fingerprints)
Information for something (e.g., algorithms or instructions)
Information in something (e.g., a pattern or a constraint).
Here, things start to get fuzzy because information can simultaneously be of more than one type.
Information can also be both objective and subjective. Everything you see, hear, feel, touch, and taste is objective Information experienced subjectively.
As the external Information comes into your mind, as you perceive it, you interact with it, and the new Information can enlighten and change your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Information has causal power.
And in machines, it is no different.
Information gives instructions on what to compute and how to compute it.
This means that information can compute and transform itself.
And it gets weird.
Information can do this both deterministically (algorithms) and probabilistically (AI).
And with all of this, it begs the question, ‘What information is exactly?’
There is something about Information that goes far beyond being merely an analytical tool or a metaphor.
Is Information something that has its own inherent existence and reality, or does it merely attach itself to matter and come along for the ride?
Information in Physics
Once upon a time, information was not a big deal. Scientist rarely asked anything about it and it was considered unimportant.
But then, as physicists went deeper, information began popping up in every area of physics on a fundamental level.
In Quantum Physics, Physicists have effectively rephrased their theories in terms of Information, and when you ask questions, Information comes out.
This led to a leap in understanding the quantum World and a whole new field of Quantum Information, which has led to Quantum Computing.
Now, there is a fundamental difference between Classical Information and Quantum Information.
Classical Information, like Classical Physics, behaves deterministically. Something is either a ‘1’ or a ‘0’. It’s defined and measurable.
Quantum Information, on the other hand, exists in a probabilistic state. According to Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, you can measure position or momentum, but you can’t measure both with great accuracy. And before you measure it, the subatomic particle can have many different positions or states, and measuring it defines what it will be.
In the Quantum world, the Information gained from the act of measuring is intrinsic to what the particle is.
Here Information and what the particle is is the same thing and it was undermined until a measurement occurred which produced Information and this Information defined the reality of the particle.
“Information & Energy have equal claims as base reality.” Seth Lloyd
Everything is made of energy, but it is information that tells us the form and shape that energy takes.
So the Universe at the bottom level exists on level of Information, not energy, because Information is what is defining, giving rise to the shape of the Universe.
As the Universe changes from moment to moment, like a crashing wave or an electron absorbing a photon, this Information is processed.
The bits flip.
Bits flipping is a computation. In this way, the Universe can be seen as an extensive computation in which the informational bits are flipping from moment to moment.
“Is information the Ground of Reality?’ Sean Carrol
Processing information in physical systems is the master key to understanding Consciousness.
“It from to Bit” John Archibald Wheeler
The deeper we go, the more and more the base reality represents something like a giant computer or a Mind.
With this, we will jump right into Integrated Information Theory (IIT).
Integrated Information Theory (IIT)
Integrated Information Theory (IIT) takes things to another level by bringing subjective information into the fold.
This is Information that a subject knows and experiences about itself. This includes the information in our experience (sense perceptions), information about our experience (relationship with perceptions) and the experience itself.
IIT is built on five fundamental Axioms. These axioms are a good starting place to define conscious experience:
Intrinsic Existence: Consciousness exists from its own intrinsic perspective, independent of external observers. You know you exist independent of an external observer.
Composition: Consciousness is structured, consisting of multiple phenomenological distinctions. Your experience has a structure and limits, is well defined, and contains meaning instead of being just white noise or pure meaningless abstraction.
Information: Consciousness is informative in that each experience is specific and provides a particular way of integrating Information that is different from other possible experiences.
Integration: Consciousness is unified; each conscious experience is irreducible to non-interconnected subsets of phenomenal distinctions. Your experience is entirely whole and can’t be reduced to the objects that you are experiencing.
Exclusion: Consciousness is definitive, meaning each experience excludes all others; there is only one overarching conscious state at any given time. You have one experience at a time.
“Processing information, in physical systems, is the master key to understanding consciousness.”
Integrated Information Theory (IIT) suggests that Consciousness arises from a system’s ability to integrate Information. This theory quantifies a system’s level of Consciousness using a measure known as Phi (Φ).
Phi (Φ) assesses the degree of integration within a system, evaluating how interconnected and unified it is in its information processing capabilities. Systems with high Φ are considered to possess high levels of Consciousness, characterized by the presence of all five essential properties (axioms) of experience defined by IIT.
IIT proposes a radical viewpoint: the process of systems integrating Information is equivalent to experiencing Consciousness. In this framework, informational Consciousness is posited as the base reality from which all experiential reality emerges. According to IIT, there is no separation between the process of Consciousness and its content; both are seen as emergent properties of information integration.
Part II: Information & Consciousness
Information has the power to form and shape our consciousness experiences, both on a conscious and subconscious level.
On a conscious level, Information enters our internal environment, which includes our current emotional state, what we are thinking about, and what we are actively wanting or fearing.
Our mind perceives, processes, and shapes information through its interactions with our urges, wants, beliefs, and intentions, and then we respond (even doing nothing is a type of response).
In the ideal scenario, we are present and aware of our internal state and deeply consider a piece of Information, its meaning, and its implications.
However, this is an unrealistic ideal.
Most people do not have the ability to be fully present and self-aware of their internal states or the skills to honestly and objectively evaluate Information.
Instead, this is what happens.
What typically happens is that the Information comes into our internal environment while our attention is on multiple things at once. It then triggers our urges, and we impulsively respond to it. (System 1: Impulses)
This is the primary system of response.
It’s automatic and what we do the vast majority of the time.
When we don’t respond impulsively, the second system turns on, which evaluates the Information in terms of our wants and needs. If you are hungry or horny, does the information help? (System 2: Motives)
If the Information moves past the first two systems, the third system kicks in our beliefs (System 3: Beliefs).
Our beliefs act as an interpretive filter that mixes new Information with existing beliefs and gives us a course for action. We act in so far as we believe that we must.
Finally, if none of the first three systems are triggered, the information passes to system four: our plans and intentions. (System 4: Plans)
This is the Prime Theory of Motivation and how we respond to information, and it is only a part of the story.
We also respond to Information subconsciously.
Information enters our Consciousness, and it acts on us without our awareness.
Take the case of judges who were reminded of their mortality before setting bail.
In the study “Evidence for Terror Management Theory I: The Effects of Mortality Salience on Reactions to Those Who Violate or Uphold Cultural Values,” Florette Cohen and colleagues found that judges who were reminded of their death before sentencing imposed a much higher bail on an alleged prostitute.
The increase was substantial. The typical bail was $50 for such an offense. However, judges who were reminded of death increased it by a whopping 900% to $450!
This suggested that reminders of mortality can lead to harsher punishments for those perceived as violating cultural norms, which is in line with the Terror Management Theory.
In such instances, Information can act on us without our knowledge. The judges had no idea that the reminder of death had such a profound effect on them. In fact, they would believe and argue that it was their intention and that they made it fully consciously.
This is precisely the power of ideology and the unconscious mind. They direct our decisions and our behavior while we rationalize them and believe them to be fully what we intended.
Now, in the same way that Information can produce experiences in Consciousness and lead to a response, it can also be processed by computers and trigger specific tasks.
Part III: Information in Technology
Through AI, humans and machines speak the same language for the first time.
Humans can now directly give AI instructions and essentially turn their words into magical spells that produce actions in the Real World.
On the other hand, AI can provide humans with Information that influences their perceptions, thinking, and beliefs and leads to their actions.
This is a profound shit.
In the Information Age, we are going through phases similar to those we did during the Industrial Age, and the parallels are uncanny.
The Industrial Age started with the advent of machines that could automate labor and do heavy work. Coal, wood, and other energy sources often powered these machines.
This allowed humanity to transform how it produced value in the World, but it was limited.
In the second phase of the Industrial Revolution, we discovered how to harness and use the power of electricity.
Electricity then brought machines and the Industrial Revolution into our homes. Here is a quick overview of how it applies to today.
Industrial Age
Phase 1: Mechanizing Labor
Transportation: Steam engines, trains, and cars revolutionized movement.
Communication: The telegraph ( it used electrochemical processes).
Mass Production: Everyday goods like food, shoes, clothes, tools, medicines, and household items were mass-produced.
Society & Economy: We went from agrarian and handicraft economies to industrial and machine-manufacturing-dominated ones. Capital-intensive factories led to capitalism, international trade, specialization, and urbanization.
Phase 2: Harnessing Electricity
Transportation: Railroads and streetcars expanded city centers.
Communication: The telephone, radio, and TV (from the 1920s to the 1950s), along with early computers, transformed communication.
Household Appliances: Stoves, refrigerators, and washing machines made household chores easier, with electricity becoming an invisible worker.
Society & Economy: Electric lighting made cities more livable, and skyscrapers became possible with elevators.
In the first phase, large companies primarily harnessed industrial power. In the second phase, electricity distributed the benefits of industrialization to homes, powering machines, and communication devices.
Industrialization's value came to full fruition on every level (household, company, government, Society).
In the Information Age, we are going through a similar process.
Phase 1: Computing Information
Transportation: GPS, supply chain management, logistics, air traffic control, onboard diagnostics (OBD), and real-time information systems.
Communication: Computers, networks, and the Internet revolutionized connectivity.
Mass Production: The Internet, social media, and information/content production changed the landscape of mass production.
Society & Economy: Startups, low capital intensity, instant global scalability, urbanization, and winner-takes-all dynamics emerged.
Phase 2: Artificial Intelligence (Projections)
Transportation: Self-driving cars and intelligent transportation systems where vehicles communicate in real-time.
Communication: Digital assistants, the Internet of Things (IoT), and automated information systems.
Household: Digital assistants and robots managing chores and other tasks.
Society & Economy: Smart systems and cities integrate information to optimize efficiency, changing both the physical and psychological worlds. The economy shifts towards value integrators.
In the first phase, we saw Information Technology transform every significant part of the economy and how we live our lives.
Now, in phase two, information technology is becoming fully democratized and distributed via the power of AI.
AI will allow us to turn our words and intentions into instructions that work in the background like a hidden application layer.
This hidden application layer works both ways. The AI will have Information about us that it can use to help us achieve our goals.
Part IV: Culture, Society, Implications of Informational Systems
The Information Age has unlocked the power of Information in the same way that the Industrial Age unlocked the energy inside of an atom.
In both ages, there was a second phase of electricity, and now, AI, where the core value was distributed to the entire society and transformed utterly.
Now, with information, this applies even more.
Here is how.
Culture is a set of information instructions on “the way of life for an entire society.” It tells us who we are, what is valuable, how we act and behave, and what is good, beautiful, and true. It passes down the story of us.
Culture is both within us and something we are also a part of.
We inform, create, and move our Culture forward. As more of us change and share new Information with others, it becomes a part of our Culture and pushes our Society forward.
Today, we are quickly moving into a thoroughly postmodern world where information has become the basis on which our lives run.
In the same way that Information affects processing systems (people, technology, AI), it also affects Culture, Systems, and Society.
Carl Sagan: "We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology."
Like the Industrial Revolution, there are hiccups before we get it right. Here are some ways it unfolds, the mistakes that await us, and their remedies.
Currently Unfolding
The Real vs. The Artificial: It becomes impossible to distinguish reality from make-believe, real news from fake news, and real people from AI-generated people.
Idealogical & Symbolic: Today, man lives mostly in his head, thinking constantly about yesterday and tomorrow. Living in a world made up of our thoughts, we live symbolically, and this will only multiply. Ideology will rule the day, where what people think and believe takes precedence over their actual lived experience.
Existential Angst: A World Where Everything Is Possible But Nothing Means Anything
Synthetic Relationships: According to a recent study, about 30% of men under 30 are virgins. Technology has already broken down our relationships, and AI can gloss over this pain and give us the illusion, the simulation of a relationship.
Job Market: Consider that 20% of the US economy is in transportation and the potential problem that self-driving cars and trucks pose in upending such a large number of jobs and then multiply it. Mundane, repetitive tasks have become part of a bygone era; now, man will have to begin thinking.
Psychological Exploitation: Every age has its version of exploitation, and in the age of AI, exploitation will be through enjoyment, pleasure of vices, and ideology.
AI systems will quickly be able to identify the vices and ideologies that have power over you and feed you the perfect dose that keeps you coming back.
Hedonism: Often, meaning and purpose are found in a Heroic mission. In a world where nothing matters, where challenges are seen as problems, many will simply indulge in empty hedonism.
AI Ethics & Tech Regulations
AI ethics and tech regulation have become necessary to address privacy concerns, bias, and fairness.
Overall, the Information Age leads to the full embodiment of Postmodern values, and through technology, just about everything that Postmodernism has to offer comes to pass.
Ultimately, this will require us to re-imagine the World, considering what is needed, what is natural, and what is next.
What the World needs more than anything here is restoring stability to a disordered world.
We begin to integrate all of the different information systems and bring about the next phase: Integration and Synthesis.
In this phase, there is a full Integration of digital and physical systems, biotechnology, psychology, Culture, and artificial intelligence.
The entire suite of human values and beliefs will be seen as essential packets of cultural Information that are valuable and useful within specific contexts, situations, and goals.
Integration & Synthesis
Smart Systems: As we go down the path of turning everything into Information that can be processed and computerized, our World will be transformed into a Smart System that is integrated and has predictive power.
Information Layer: This layer contains live real-world data, like a ‘Meta World,’ and has our knowledge integrated into it: physics, mathematics, biology, psychology, sociology, etc. The Information layer is then a representation of our World and how it behaves and can:
Have predictive powers
Smart City predicting energy usage, traffic, disease outbreaks, etc
Run simulations of how different systems affect each other and mitigate risks. (For example, Predict weather and its effects on traffic, energy usage, health, etc. All of this can mitigate issues for vulnerable populations and be preventative.)
Allow citizens to push and pull Information to it, start businesses, communicate, etc.
Empower automation and computations based on conditions (e.g., You can sell energy back to the grid when a specific price is hit or when you’re not at home)
Natural language is the language of software. Your communication becomes a type of software.
Integration: Information is integrated, and hidden patterns emerge.
Deep Integration between domains of life ( personal, sciences, Culture, Systems)
Different Information is mixed and integrated to solve a complex problem. For example, losing weight = personality x diet x friends x DNA x culture.
Holistic Understanding: New insights will emerge as Information and research from different fields point to the same phenomena
New Domains of Knowledge: Big data will produce new domains of knowledge that were impossible before big data and AI.
Old domains niche down into new domains: Chemistry and biology produced biochemistry.
Face Reading: Long considered a pseudoscience, big data, AI, and scientifically valid personality models give credence to identifying personality traits via face reading.
This matrix has a linguistic basis to it.
A language of reality and its inner relationships and actions
This reality is a linguistic tautology that is created via an experience within Consciousness.
Personal Technology: Each of us will have Personal technology, AI Assistants, and applications that integrate with our:
Physical World: smart homes, work, IoT devices, health, smart cities, etc
Relationships: family, friends, etc
Intrapersonal: our own psychology, personality, values, beliefs, identity, goals, plans, etc.
Communication: AI Systems will communicate with each other and coordinate responses to new Information, enhancing efficiency and functionality.
Convergence of Technology: Full convergence of AI, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Metaverse, Blockchain, etc..
Household: Smart homes will handle chores, cooking, cleaning, and even fitness, seamlessly meeting all household needs.
Philosophy: Information becomes the new ‘God.’ It supersedes ‘Matter,’ and the World is seen as ‘information.’ The universe is seen as a ‘computer,’ and reality is seen as a type of simulation. The external World goes from being a ‘dumb machine’ to a ‘smart computer.’
Society: We start valuing generalists and integrative thinkers, and metacognition becomes a prized skill.
Economy: Polymaths coax the right informational insights that release/unlock tremendous informational value. Startups focus on integrating information by using it like a set of ingredients that can produce an outcome. Deep personalization is where Information is judged on its effectiveness in producing the desired change.
I imagine both the Dark Side of the Integration Phase will happen simultaneously.
However, more energy and investment will be spent on the low-hanging fruit. AI Girlfriends are much easier to get right and turn a profit than AI for Mental Health which is why Replica made a hard pivot to the dark side.
So, our societies focus on the easy, pleasureful, and profitable, and we bring forth the more dystopian version, which leaves us empty.
As our Culture catches up, it becomes clear that we live in a world of abundance and that every type of experience is available to us.
The idea of a healthy information diet has become even more essential than eating a healthy diet.
Our attention and our consciousness become the keys that determine what information we cognize and experience, and we are only able to bring forth what we pay attention to.
Through our focused attention, we can bring forth Heaven on Earth or a Hellscape.
As we decide and reflect on what we want, we draw it forward in our imagination, and through our imagination, we can begin to reveal what is valuable and necessary to bring it to fruition.
Ultimately, integration and synthesis lead us to the next age, the imagination age.