The Thinking Machine

The number of human beings connecting to the Internet is constantly growing and is estimated for 2021 at 4.9 billion, or approximately 63% of the world's population (ITU, 2021). In the same year, the number of connected objects is estimated at 14.5 billion (van, 2021). Such a quantity of connections can be compared to a giant brain with all its neurons and synapses. However, if this brain is large in its spread around the globe, it is nonetheless incomparable to a human brain and its eighty-six billion neurons. By way of comparison, the number of connected objects in 2021 is of the same order of magnitude as the number of neurons in a baboon (herculano-houzel, 2020). The comparison of Internet connections with a brain quickly reaches its limits. Nevertheless, connected objects and in particular embedded systems have in common with the brain the ability to perceive and act with their environment, near or far, thanks to communication systems.