Project History

The AgoraVox project is the outcome of years of research and experimentations. The starting point is the publication of the book Intelligence Stratégique sur Internet ("Strategic Intelligence on the Internet"), at Dunod editions. The main goal of this work was to explain why strategic watch activities in companies would inevitably develop through the Internet. In other words, the hypothesis of the book was this one: "Internet will be a throttle for the strategic watch in companies".

To demonstrate that the Internet would be the real accelerator for the spreading of strategic watch practices in companies, there had to be distance and concrete experiences. And that is what happened between 1995 and 2005. During this period, apart from our usual commercial performances, we have been able to participate in numerous research projects (sometimes collaborating with public administrations) which all contributed to demonstrating the strategic watch market and information search was expanding especially thanks to the blowing up of the Internet.

Today, our goal is to prove that the search for information and invidual watch will develop and evolve thanks to the Internet. In other words, we intend to demonstrate why the Internet puts together an "accelerator" that favors the individual intelligence development (and not only that of the strategic intelligence).

Indeed, beyond companies, what will revolutionize the behaviors of individuals on the Internet is this "watcher attitude" that consists in keeping the eyes open to educate and enrich on all levels: would it be to dig out new information, check a rumor, increase own knowledge, make up your faiths, compare the prices for a book, identify the surgeon who set up the last technics to cure a rare disease, etc.

In short, the Internet is not only an accelerator for the strategic intelligence of companies, but also an accelerator to increase the individual intelligence of everyone single one of us...

In a world dominated by complexity, overwhelming information and disinformation, individual and personal choices become more and more difficult and risky. In such a context, it is more and more complex to take rational decisions even when it touches to most inoccuous choices. It is therefore legitimate to wonder if we can apply at the individual level the methods used for years at the companies level (knowledge management, economic intelligence, strategic watch...). Can an individual really identify, validate and analyse the informations that he/she needs to optimize his/her everyday choices?

Naturally, we are convinced that it is possible. But on the condition that there is a real sensibilization towards citizens on the control of online information, on search and verification methods, on the use of traditional search engines, or even intelligent agents (tools that allow to optimize searches and navigation on the Internet).

Our bet is that each individual could become sort of a "network ethical link", by efficiently using serach tools and intelligent software. Apart from unavoidable attemps to manipulate, disinform or destabilize, the issue today is to understand if the Internet can become sort of an "ethical peer-to-peer" which enlists the forces of millions of Internet users, like many scientific programs do when they use the computing power of the internet users personal computers to fight AIDS, or cancer.

The originality of the approach linked to this research work, realized inter alia in collaboration with the University of Paris X, is to try and lead a parallel between the company (strategic intelligence) and the individual (individual intelligence). It is thus absolutely necessary to understand if, in front of problems that seem alike, individuals have to adopt the same behavior and solutions as companies’.

It is about providing concrete and pragmatic tools to find the good information and above all to make it reliable. In other words, issuing methodologies to use the Internet efficiciently as a "personal" watch tool, so as to take any decision rationaly and optimally.

The challenge is then to be able to exploit the "collective" intelligence of the Internet by using the artificial intelligence tools (intelligent agents) and the economic intelligence methods (information search).

The Cybion founders have been convinced for several years of the soar of the collective intelligence at every level: information search, citizen journalism, fight against crime, etc. On this topic, you can read (in French):

Auto-régulation éthique et citoyenne sur Internet Forum e-démocratie Conférence by Carlo Revelli (April, 2002)
(Support de présentation - Vidéo 1 - Vidéo 2)

Sauver Internet du cyberterrorisme
Publié by Carlo Revelli in le Figaro on 10/25/01

La cybercriminalité intéressera-t-elle les candidats aux présidentielles ?
Publié by Carlo Revelli in les Echos.net on 02/11/02

Internet: genèse d’un cerveau planétaire
Abstracts from "L’Homme symbiotique" by Joël de Rosnay (1995)