Did you know How Is AI Fueling a Data Explosion Bigger Than All of Human History?

 

Right now, there is a lot of data which is collected, stored, and processed in the digital world. As technology is advancing, so is the rise and influence of data. We used data from Avison Young and  IDC Global DataSphere Forecast to draw a visualization of rapid increase in data over the years and what challenges and opportunities are associated with it. Projections indicate that the next three years will generate more data than all of human history combined. One of the biggest reasons for this mass generation of data will be due to artificial intelligence, starting from 2014 with the release of the first generative AI model and then the launch of OpenAI’s GPT-1 in 2018.

In 2010, the worldwide data was just 2 zettabytes, which increased gradually to 13 zettabytes in 2014. In 2018, the worldwide data reached 33 zettabytes and by 2020, it had increased to 64 zettabytes. 

In 2022, the worldwide data reached 101 zettabytes from 84 zettabytes in 2021. It was the year when OpenAI’s ChatGPT got released and 1 million users visited the platform within the five days of its release. Nowadays there are a lot of AI products that people are using in their daily lives, and that's why data is estimated to reach 182 zettabytes in 2025. Before 2023, the total data created was about 542 zettabytes starting from 2010. But from 2024 to 2026, about 552 zettabytes of data are going to be generated, which highlights the growing trends in technology and AI market.