Machine learning, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology are combining in the '4th Industrial Revolution' to generate unalterable, ubiquitous data that will transform buildings and the built environment into 'devices' to help us live better lives and tackle pandemics. Centralised 'Cloud' databases are being replaced by self-repairing, locally-based 'Edge Computing' to make our digital future more sustainable. 'The way we navigate the world' is changing radically, argues Abel Maciel.