Systemic Innovation: From Radiowaves to the Internet of Intelligences

Technological innovation rarely evolves in straight lines. It unfolds in waves, ecosystems, and interdependencies. The story of radiowaves -once a physical phenomenon, now a systemic enabler- is perhaps the most striking example of how infrastructure and intellectual property can coalesce into Meta-Innovations.

Radiowaves: The Birth of a Meta-Infrastructure

In the late 19th century, pioneers like James Clerk Maxwell (who theorized electromagnetic waves) and Heinrich Hertz (who experimentally proved their existence) laid the foundation for radiowave innovation. Guglielmo Marconi then transformed theory into practical systems by creating the first wireless telegraphy. These inventors, however, couldn’t foresee the global web of broadcasting, satellites, GPS, and WiFi that would emerge from their early prototypes.

Radiowaves evolved into a multi-layered innovation stack:

• Physical: antennas, satellites, transceivers.

• Regulatory: spectrum licensing, ITU norms.

• Protocol-based: telecom standards, 5G, IoT networks.

• Institutional: state control vs. private sector, telecom operators.

• Cognitive: social norms, literacy of the medium.

What began as a discovery in electromagnetism became an "infrastructure property", something nations and firms could build, license, regulate, and evolve.

From the Internet of Things to the Internet of Intelligences

Technological generations build upon each other, unless new usages disrupt the stack. The Internet of Things (IoT) was one such layer: adding sensors to physical devices, using radiowaves and protocols to create distributed awareness.

But the real leap was conceptual: we moved from networks of “things” to networks of “intelligences.” These include:

• Devices that learn (machine learning at the edge).

• Agents that interact (voice assistants, smart bots).

• Systems that co-adapt (autonomous vehicles, smart grids).

This transformation requires rethinking governance, architecture, and value creation. We are now designing systems that generate knowledge as they operate, blurring the line between infrastructure and intelligence.

Infrastructure Property v/s Intellectual Property

A critical insight arises: innovation doesn't rest solely on patents or startups. It rests on “infra-intellectual duality.” Consider this:

• Intellectual Property (IP): codified, protected, often hard to produce or defend.

• Infrastructure Property (InfraP): buildable, replicable, governable, yet foundational to system innovation.

Radiowaves exemplify InfraP: countries don’t just own patents; they manage frequencies, build towers, enforce interoperability. Likewise, future AI systems will require not only algorithms (IP), but also data governance frameworks, computing infrastructure, and semantic standards (InfraP).

Lessons for Africa and the Global South

For emerging economies, this distinction is vital. Building a generative AI ecosystem doesn’t start with inventing ChatGPTs -it starts with local data lakes, public compute grids, AI sandboxes, and knowledge governance.

What matters most is systemic innovation: the ability to shape rules, incentives, and usage pathways—not just the tech. Radiowaves took over a century to become global. The Internet of Intelligences may do it in a decade—but only for those who control the layers.