In the Ted Talk, “Big data is better data” by Kenneth Cukier he starts out talking about apple pie. He describes that the reason we all know that apple pie is the ‘favorite’ is due to big data. It keeps records and they sell them bigger, therefore people make compromises and buy that bigger pie flavor. He then goes on to describe how this data allows us to see new, better and different things in the world. This is a statement that I agree with. Without big data not as many things would be known in the world. Cukier says around the time 1:50, “We can fundamentally do things that we couldn’t do when we only had a smaller amounts”. This statement is one that is extremely relevant in our society. I never really had thought about how different the world would be without big data. We would most definitely not know as much as we do. Throughout the speech he brought up how it has advanced but stayed the same in a way. We can still fit so much information on a small flash drive. This was really interesting to me because it is very true. Just on one data stick, so much information about yourself, others, and the government can be held. Cukier also mentioned how technology is, in a way, taking over. He brought up a lot of examples about cancer cells being recognized with computers, and smart cars driving on their own. Toward the end of his speech he brought up how there are dark sides to big data as well. It was worrisome to hear how the predictions big data can make could result in punishment, and how it could end up stealing jobs from professionals. The world is becoming more advanced and that is very clear to see with all the new technologies being introduced, but allowing for this to take jobs away from humans is not good. “This is a tool, but this is a tool that, unless we’re careful, will burn us” (12:54). This was one quote that stood out to me in his speech. I do think that these advancements are a beneficial tool that could really help our society as a whole, but we can’t allow it to take over. We need to know where to draw the line when it comes to using this tool. The final quote that he stated was, “Humanity can finally learn from the information that it can collect, as part of our timeless quest to understand the world and our place in it, and that’s why big data is a big deal” (14:56). I thought this was a great way to close his speech because it summed up how we can take big data, learn from it, understand it more, and use it more to our advantage. Without big data the world would be a completely different place, but we just have to make sure that we know where the line is between its ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Overall, I agreed with and thought a lot of what he said was very eye opening. When something isn’t right in front of your face and there are things running in the background, it is sometimes hard to even think that this is actually going on. Being aware and cautious is the biggest thing we need to focus on when it comes to the idea of Big Data.