Dilemma of Information Overload

written by Stanislaw Lem

Everybody complains of information overload. However, there is no return. Whereas some dream of intelligent agents, i.e. smart servants who are supposed to free us from the torture of choice, others are either closing ranks or letting themselves be flooded by meaningless amounts of information. Stanislaw Lem wonders whether the ignited megabit-bomb has reached not only the limits of human possibilities but also the technical barrier. The gradual replacement of human knowledge by intelligent systems has the following consequence for Man – the possibility of early retirement for the majority of the population.