Mona's Fairground

Week 1 | Megatrends: ‘The World is Changing’ Extracts from Klaus Schwab, 2016, The Fourth Industrial Revolution (World Economic Forum), pp.14-26, 47-50, 67-73, 91-104.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khjY5LWF3tg

Klaus Schwab in his book indicate the fourth industrial revolution is coming, and he lists three clusters will drive the technological megatrends: physical, digital and biological. Three of them technologies interrelated and they benefit from each other.

He lists four main physical manifestations of technological megatrends: autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, advanced robotics and new material. I am very interested in the advanced of a robot that becoming more adaptive and flexible by stand out on its sensor. I think this increase will respond better to an environment, household and medical treatment. Then, the advance of nanomaterials such as graphene will disrupt the manufacturing and infrastructure industries, and I felt it would bring a huge contribute to the liquid crystal display.

Klaus discussed the “internet of all things,” the main bridges between physical and digital applications. IoT through IntelliSense, identification technology and pervasive computing, ubiquitous network convergence applications, breaking the conventional thinking before, human beings can achieve ubiquitous computing and network connectivity. IoT makes it more refined and dynamic management of production and life for human, also to manage the future of the city improve the relationship between human and nature.

What did surprise me in biological is the using of 3D manufacturing will be combined with gene editing to produce living tissues for repair and regeneration. Does that mean, in the future, human will never die? I don’t know.

Next, Klaus pointed out the work in the future of human. The idea of the on-demand economy comes out; employers are using the “human cloud” to finish their jobs using the virtual cloud. For that human who are in the cloud, the main advantages reside in the freedom. For me, I think it’s a excellent work way instead of sit in the dark office day and day.

Then, Klaus explores what’s the role that governments should assume to master the fourth industrial revolution. Some solutions are governments must use digital technologies and use of web technologies help public administrations, and, the government must adapt to the fact that the power is shifting. The ability of government self-tuning will determine its survival.

The fourth industrial revolution also is a big challenge for most societies, and, it may exacerbate the tensions which exist between deeply religious societies defending their fundamental values and those whose beliefs are shaped by a more secular worldview. After that, Klaus explores two of the most important drivers of change: the potential rising inequality puts pressure on the middle class and the integration of digital media changing how communities form and relate to one another.

I strongly agree Klaus’s concept that “the fourth industrial revolution is not only changing what we do but also who we are,” this changing mainly reflect on human connection. Our relationship with our mobile technologies is a case in point, in our life, everyone holds our mobile phones every second, minutes, hour. Human seems like become the mobile technology’s worker. As Nicholas Carr pointed out “the more time we spend immersed in digital waters, the shallower our cognitive capabilities become due to the fact that we cease exercising control over our attention.” I agree his concept, even that, what should we do? We can’t stop the development of the digital technology…..

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Week 1 | Megatrends: ‘The World is Changing’ Extracts from Klaus Schwab, 2016, The Fourth Industrial Revolution (World Economic Forum), pp.14-26, 47-50, 67-73, 91-104.

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