With connected data," Vogels says, "a shot is not something you do by looking in your competitor's eyes. You do it because a data scientist told you to." It might win the game, but in the process it might also takes something essential from the game. By turning sport into science, we threaten to ruin the fun of it.
Maybe It's Benign—Maybe
Despite the potential for misuse—whether for nefarious ends or simply for purposes that may remove a bit of the joy of life—Vogels celebrated a large catalog of current uses for IoT data. We too often get fixated on having our refrigerator tell us to get more milk, when there are far more powerful reasons to use IoT data: DNA sequencing, energy conservation, space exploration and more.
Still, instead of rushing blindly into this brave new world of Big Data, we would do well to remember Big Data is not always better. Sometimes it's precisely the messiness of life that makes it worthwhile.