I saw the Bourne Ultimatum the other night with the Strategist. We’d both already seen it, but have a shared love for these kinds of movies as well as the subject matter in general.

One of the things that I thought was the most interesting in this movie is the ways in which technology becomes almost a character unto itself. Not only do they make gratuitous reference to the tracking power of Google Maps and cell phones, but they have all those scenes with a gang of NSA/CIA agents (or whatever) in front of banks of computer equipment trying to track Jason Bourne and unravel various mysteries associated with his actions.

In a sense, these scenes (centering typically around the characters of Noah Vosen and Pamela Landy) are the best way I can think of to explain the “new directions” I see information usage as going. If you haven’t seen the movie, the characters mentioned above are mid-level managers essentially within US intelligence organizations. They direct a team of maybe 8-12 agents sitting in the room who act as a collective to solve problems and manipulate data patterns in an effort to make certain events occur. Then they coordinate various operatives on the street who go out and stream video and audio surveillance back to headquarters, as well as various “assets” who have training and authorization to take lethal action.

Let’s translate this into internet technology. Basically, what I am envisioning is a point where you have semi-autonomous digital data collection agents which trace and retrieve certain types of data for you - whatever it is you may be looking for. Almost like a secretary: you could say to your agent, “Put together a report on what kinds of hats I might like to purchase.” It would then make decisions based on your existing data profile and whatever parameters you enter, and would return you the information you’re looking for.

Now imagine you had a dozen intelligent agents (or hell, even a hundred) collecting data like this on your behalf. You would basically be given “executive summaries” or overviews of information, which you could then make decisions and take actions upon (or authorize your agents to take: “Buy this hat for me. I want it at my house by Thursday.”)

Whether you are a director of secret agents or of digital data collection “smart” agents, what you would be doing is basically the same: coordinating complex information searches for the purposes of solving problems and taking action within the world. It is essentially the same thing the director of a movie does: they give instructions to people who are “acting” (literally) on their behalf according to a set storyline, and then they are selecting sets of information (framing and filming shots, and editing together footage) which best communicate that storyline into reality for the audience.

In other words, I see computers within the next few years allowing people who understand how to harness them appropriately the equivalent ability of having a small staff of secretaries or agents at your command. Everyone could basically become a CEO of themselves, or a director of their own movie.