• BLOG | The Challenges of the 4th Industrial Revolution

    May 7, 2019 | Andrew Stead

  • “The Fourth Industrial Revolution will affect our identity and all the issues associated with it: our sense of privacy, our notions of ownership, our consumption patterns, the time we devote to work and leisure, and how we develop our careers, cultivate our skills, meet people, and nurture relationships” — Klaus Schwab, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, 2016

    For a moment, let’s consider some of the ugliness the 4th Industrial Revolution might bring!

  • - CHALLENGES AHEAD -

  • Information Overload

    Being connected 24-7 will continue to burden us as the continuous information flow only gets worse.

    Fake News

    Cyber-bullying and fake news are some of the harmful effects of social media. Soon enough we’ll need a set of recognised rules and guidelines for social media to protect against these and further threats to come. 

    Dangerous Weapons

    One of the key risks of machine learning, biotechnology, robotics and similar technologies is that they can be weaponized for the threat of massive destruction.

    Increasing Unemployment Rates

    Automation combined with robotics will perform many jobs that currently require you or I. The impact on the global job market will be gigantic.    

  • Social Disparity

    Genetic manipulation and technology implants in humans could provide undue advantages to certain humans over their peers, most likely based on ability to pay (wealth). Wealth-longevity disparities already exist but could dramatically worsen.

    Human Interaction

    Humans are herd animals but our love of technology is challenging our ability to interact with each other. Technology will continue to enhance our world so now, more than ever before, we need to be aware of human interaction in order stay, well, human.

    Crisis of Values

    The challenges to our values are already upon us. And new technologies will continue this trend. For example, if money is prioritised over family then we can build a machine that will make us more money but it will come at the cost of family time.

    Machine Revolution

    It might seem like science fiction but with the emergence of machine learning, artificial intelligence and advanced robotics, it’s perfectly possible to envisage a future where machines grow more intelligent and capable than humans. So, what’s to stop them taking over?

     

  • Like any Industrial Revolution, it’s the end of the World as we know it! But if we can overcome these challenges, the rewards could be, literally, mind altering…so tune into my next Blogpost where I’ll examine the benefits ahead if we get this right!

    As Max Tegmark says: “We have to win this race between the growing power of the technology, and the growing wisdom with which we manage it. We don’t want to learn from mistakes.”

     

    Have a fantastic day!

      

    Andrew