Media 6: The Fourth Industrial Revolution

“A World Economic Forum report published in September 2015 identified 21 tipping points – moments when specific technological shifts hit mainstream society – that will shape our future digital and hyper-connected world. They are all expected to occur in the next 10 years…” (p.25)

There’s little doubt, even to a casually ignorant observer like myself, that our society is currently in a state of technological transition. It seems that every week, innovations and technologies are being developed or released that previous generations could only have dreamed of. In selected extracts from The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Klaus Schwab details both the technological advances that are poised to revolutionize society, as well as the potential impact that these innovations may bring.

Some of the incoming advances seem ripped directly from an Asimov novella; “drones [becoming] capable of sensing and responding to their environment” (p.15), progress in robotics making “collaboration between humans and machines an everyday reality” (p.16), “materials that are self-healing and self-cleaning” (p.16). However, as Schwab emphasizes, these advances aren’t merely in the realm of science-fiction anymore, they’re in development, and they possess the potential to “revolutionize personalized and effective healthcare” (p.21), not to mention the “automotive, aerospace and medical industries.” (p.16)

                            Damn robots, taking our jobs!

However, Schwab also highlights the extensive “legal, regulatory and ethical” (p.22) problems that these technological innovations may imply. I’ll admit, it was a thought that struck me when reading about the incredible advances in robotics – if these advances help to make the automotive industry (as an example) more efficient and autonomous, what’s the human cost? If “synthetic biology” (p.21) is now a distinct possibility, what’s to be done about the clear ethical dilemma that lies in genetic engineering? Schwab suggests that our adaptation will be key in these ethical limitations, that we “pay attention to how we can ensure such advances continue to be made and directed towards the best possible outcomes” (p.24)

Schwab’s call for adaptation continues to be made in his discussion on how this ‘fourth industrial revolution’ will affect our governments, communities and our sense of self. He claims “agile governance” (p.70) is paramount, that our leaders must “let innovation flourish, while minimizing risks” (p.71). Again, I would describe myself as wholly ignorant on these matters (given that I have been known to struggle with using a printer), but this seems extraordinarily optimistic to me. I agree that a government would need to reinvent itself to stay relevant and functional in the face of a technological revolution, but the evidence (at least in this country) suggests that our leaders already struggle in the face of a “better informed and increasingly demanding” (p. 68) voting public.

Schwab’s writings on the megatrends set to sweep through our society are a little overwhelming, but exciting despite that. Or possibly because of it. We do seem set for a shift in the way we treat technology – our ethical and legal viewpoints will surely be challenged and new precedents are due to be set in the wake of such tremendous innovations. I agree with Schwab, though. “The big challenge for most societies will be how to absorb and accommodate the new modernity while still embracing the nourishing aspects of our traditional value systems.” (p. 91) Finding that balance, will, I suspect, be a particularly contentious point in the generational divide.