Tag: Ir 4

Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution — Book Review

BOOK REVIEWS BY MAZLAN ABBAS

Offering nuanced insights into how these changes will redefine humanity and your place within it.

Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

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As you stand at the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a transformative era that melds the physical, digital, and biological worlds, it’s imperative to understand the vast implications of this seismic shift.

“Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” by Klaus Schwab with Nicholas Davis, serves as your compass in this uncharted territory, offering nuanced insights into how these changes will redefine humanity and your place.

Understanding the Fourth Industrial Revolution

At the heart of this revolution are breakthroughs that blur the lines between what’s human and technological, organic and artificial.

Schwab and Davis meticulously outline the driving forces behind these changes, emphasizing how intertwined advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and biotechnology pave the way for unprecedented transformations.

But what does this mean for you?

The authors argue that these technologies are not mere tools but collaborators in shaping your reality, urging you to engage with these advancements proactively rather than passively observing them unfold.

The Human Element in Technological Evolution

One of the book’s core messages is maintaining the human element amidst rapid technological change.

Schwab and Davis encourage you to ponder ethical considerations, societal impacts, and the potential for human enhancement, stressing that technology should augment rather than diminish human values and capabilities.

This focus on humanity serves as a crucial reminder: while you may leverage technology to drive progress, preserving human dignity and values is paramount.

It’s a call to action for you to participate in shaping a future where technology amplifies the best of humanity.

Actionable Insights for Diverse Stakeholders

Whether you’re a business leader, policymaker, or citizen, the book delineates actionable steps for navigating and influencing the trajectory of technological advancement.

Schwab and Davis highlight the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, emphasizing that contributions from across sectors are vital for a balanced and inclusive future.

The detailed exploration of technology areas — from AI to biotechnologies — equips you with a comprehensive understanding, enabling you to make informed decisions and advocate for responsible innovation in your respective fields.

The Role of Governance and Ethics

As you delve deeper into the book, you’ll encounter discussions on governance frameworks and ethical considerations, underscoring the necessity of robust policies to steer technological deployment for the common good.

Schwab and Davis advocate for agile governance — responsive yet responsible regulatory frameworks that adapt to fast-paced innovation while safeguarding societal values.

This emphasis on governance resonates deeply.

I urge you to consider how laws, regulations, and ethical guidelines can shape the development and application of emerging technologies, ensuring they serve humanity’s broader interests.

Empowering Yourself in a Transformative Era

“Shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution” empowers you with knowledge and challenges you to take an active role in this era of transformation.

The authors inspire you to engage with technology thoughtfully, harnessing its potential to address global challenges while being mindful of its implications on the fabric of society.

The book is not just a guide but a clarion call to influence the future proactively.

By understanding the interplay of technologies and their societal impacts, you’re better equipped to contribute to a future that reflects collective aspirations and values.

Your Role in Shaping the Future

Ultimately, the book conveys a sense of agency and responsibility.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution offers a canvas on which the future will be painted.

Your actions, decisions, and advocacy can significantly influence how this future unfolds, ensuring a shared vision of prosperity, sustainability, and inclusivity shapes it.

Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

In Conclusion

“Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution” is essential for anyone eager to understand the profound changes reshaping our world and keen to play a part in directing this transformation.

Klaus Schwab and Nicholas Davis provide a roadmap and a call to ethical action, urging you to engage with technology thoughtfully to craft a future that upholds and celebrates our shared humanity.

In this era of immense change, your awareness, engagement, and decision-making are pivotal.

The book equips you with the knowledge to navigate these shifts.

It advocates for a future where technology serves humanity, enhancing our lives while preserving our values.

As you turn the final page, remember that the future is not something that happens to you but something you can actively shape.

Use my affiliate link to purchase this book, Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, at Amazon.

More book reviews by Mazlan Abbas:

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Malaysia National 4IR Policy — An Opinion

[This article was originally published in IoT World]

We are aware that earlier in 2018, Malaysia launched National Industry 4WRD Policy Framework, however, the focus is on the manufacturing sector as we know manufacturing is one the biggest contributor to Malaysia’s GDP. However, it sparked interest in other sectors and industries as well because as described in the World Economic Forum (WEF), that the emerging technologies will have a disruptive impact on jobs of the future.

Here’s my personal opinions on Malaysia 4IR Policy:

  1. World Agenda — When Henrik Von Scheel (also known as Father and Originator of Industry 4.0) masterminded Germany’s digital agenda in 2009 with a belief that the industry will be transform by the fusion of digital, virtual and physical world, also called the cyber-physical systems, and this triggered the emergence of new era of fourth industrial revolution. This has been emphasized again by World Economic Forum in 2016. The fusion of various technologies have transformed and disrupted many businesses. And Malaysia should not be left behind.
  2. Covid-19 the Master Enabler — It took many years for us to educate the importance of digital transformation, but Covid-19 made us realise how important it us to transform our business, education and almost everything using digital. Internet seems to be mandatary in almost every part of lives. And to move towards IR 4.0, we must have the fundamental of IR 3.0 in place i.e. digital and virtual (content in digital with good access to Internet). That’s the more reason Malaysia also launched Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDigital) in early 2021 to encourage the usage of digital technology to transform the economic sector.
  3. Humanizing Technology — Although 4IR can create new jobs, but it also create threats to the existing ones. Many people down the street are not aware how complex technologies of 4IR can help them in their daily lives. Thus, the aspiration of 4IR policy to ensure that it can provide quality of life by benefitting the society such as focus on happiness, healthy living, work-life balance, overcome social issues and sustainable living will help the adoption of 4IR technology to be easier and acceptable. Technology should not be seen as a threat but in fact should be seen to help them.
  4. Budget Justification — We hoped that the 4 policy thrusts, 16 strategies and 32 National initiatives can help the relevant agencies to justify for their 2022 budget. Without sufficient funding, it’s very difficult for us to maintain our momentum. We also want that the bureaucracy of 4IR fund approval need to be reduce to avoid unnecessary delays as what we have seen in the Industry 4WRD initiatives (Some SMEs complained that even a 4IR readiness assessment can take a year to complete. This does not include the 4IR intervention programmes).
  5. Producer-Nation Agenda — How do we increase our graduates salary if we are just being a Consumer-Nation? How do we sustain and grow our Startups if all the products and technologies are bought from overseas? How do we (i.e. the industries) share our technology or product map to Universities if we are not in control of our own product roadmap? One of the policy thrust — “Accelerate the 4IR technology innovation and adoption” is a “battle-cry” for many local Startups. Support them even if they are still small and have no reference sites to show or demonstrate. Support the innovators by being the early market adopters that are willing to take the risk to test out the new and untested local products. One day this small companies can grow and create more jobs for the country.

This can be my opinion and probably a wish list. Let’s see the actions that will be taken in the next 6–12 months. A Project Management Office (PMO) need to be setup to ensure transparency and KPIs are met.