The fourth industrial revolution - what is it?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

We are on the verge of a new era - an era where technology unites the virtual world with the physical

The World Economic Forum opened in Davos on January 17, at which, for the second year in a row, the "fourth industrial revolution" became one of the main topics of discussion. It is reported by the Meduza portal. The term is discussed in Davos at the suggestion of its president, Klaus Schwab, who wrote a book about the fourth industrial revolution.

As stated in the message, the following events were marked by the first three revolutions:

The invention of the steam engine at the end of the 17th century. This served as an impetus for the development of mechanical engineering, transport, textile industry and other industries. People began to move to cities amid rapid economic growth. The share of those who provided themselves with subsistence farming, on the contrary, declined.

By the end of the 19th century, mass production was mastered. Explosive growth is taking place in the steel and chemical industries. Henry Ford launches the famous in-line car production, made possible by the ubiquity of electricity.

The digital revolution at the end of the 20th century. Computers have been invented that perform calculations billions of times faster than humans. Later, these computers were united into information networks. Humanity still continues to assess the impact of digital technologies on society.

Regarding the fourth revolution, it is noted that this is a concept according to which we are on the verge of a new era - an era where t Technologies combine the virtual (digital) world with the physical.

“The role of smart machines in this era is so great that without them it is difficult to imagine the daily life of people, production and government. People used to use different machines in many areas of life, but now machines can be networked, analyze data and make decisions on their own,”the message says.

As an example, the authors cite an Amazon store without cash registers and sellers, where money for purchases is automatically deducted from the buyer's account.

“And if such a store still surprises someone, then everyone is already accustomed to systems like Yandex. Traffic jams, which also use the Internet of Things. Such technologies have been used for quite some time in medicine, construction, insurance and other fields. For example, some cities use "smart" lighting - for example, city lights themselves "see" when an accident has occurred and intensify the lighting to make it easier for emergency services to work. When there is no one on the street, the light is dimmed so as not to waste extra energy,”the article says.

Another prime example is 3D printing. 3D manufacturing in the future may bury the state-owned manufacturing sector with its clumsy monopoly-batch production, gradually shifting the focus of production into private hands. With the help of such printers, individuals will be able to make point-to-point personally (locally) products that are in demand, previously available only to full-fledged manufacturers with expensive high-precision equipment and a complete production chain of design and distribution.

In this way, hundreds of thousands of people will become independent private producers themselves, while transforming themselves into autonomous digital consumers.

Currently, 3D printing is successfully used for the manufacture of parts in the automotive industry, in aircraft construction (the method of direct laser firing on metal); in dentistry (individual orthodontics) - the creation of precise dental braces for patients (the method of stereolithography using polymers); to create customized hearing devices that fit perfectly with the patient and are completely invisible from the outside. And her role is not limited to this.

Experts suggest that the spread of these technologies can lead to political and economic deformations of the national economies of most traditional states, which will entail a change in their socio-political system from more centralized models of lovers of “strong verticals” of all stripes to more decentralized ones.

Globally, the fourth industrial revolution means "acceleration" in management practices of all kinds, from corporate to government. Now computers can themselves suggest the right solution, and developed communication networks can instantly implement it.

To adapt to the current rhythm, governments will have to rethink the decision-making scheme and allow ordinary citizens into it for "flexible" country management.

“In Germany, we launched a project for the development of cyber-physical systems called“Industry 4.0”. We are talking about the study and, in the future, the creation of "smart factories", where machines will be able to independently make all decisions and issue a product at the output, focusing on the momentary needs of the consumer, "the authors say.

According to the supporters of the concept, the speed and scale of changes that occur in people's lives under the influence of technology are so great that one should talk about a fundamentally new era. As Klaus Schwab says, now technology is no longer just changing what we do, it is changing ourselves.

Regarding whether the fourth revolution will be good or bad, the authors highlight several points of view.

On the one hand, the development of technology can give the economy a serious boost and save a lot of resources. People's life will become easier and cheaper.

According to some economists, further development of communications will allow people from poor countries to join the global trade chains, and it will become easier for small companies to receive investments for their projects. Others say that technology will help the poor a little, while the rich will be able to manage resources more efficiently. And one of the most discussed problems is possible unemployment. Mass production automation will lead to massive cuts. In the United States alone, up to half of all jobs could theoretically be at risk. The decline in demand for cheap labor, in turn, will deal a severe blow to the economies of developing countries such as India, China and the states of Latin America.

As a reminder, the Davos 2017 Forum is the World Economic Forum (WEF). Meetings at the forum are held with the participation of leading business executives, political leaders, prominent thinkers, and journalists. Most often, the most pressing world problems are discussed, including the problems of health care and environmental protection. This year, the Davos Forum was held from 17 to 20 January 2017.

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