Fourth Industrial Revolution (~2010s onward)

A Fourth Industrial Revolution (~2010s onward) is an industrial revolution that has been catalyzed by breakthroughs in digital technology.

• Context:
  • It can be a historical period characterized by the fusion of technologies blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.
  • It can largely be unfolding across the globe, with significant developments in Advanced Economies as well as in Emerging Markets.
  • It can be associated with a Fourth Industrial Revolution Emergence Period (~2010s) (marked by the rise of cyber-physical systems and the Internet of Things) and a Fourth Industrial Revolution Growth Period (mid-2025s onward) (characterized by advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning).
  • It can include the development of technologies such as autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, and advanced robotics.
  • It can be marked by the integration of cybersecurity measures to protect critical infrastructure and personal data.
  • It can bring about improvements in healthcare through technologies like gene editing and personalized medicine.
  • It can present challenges such as cyber threats, privacy concerns, and the displacement of jobs due to automation.
  • …
• Example(s):
  • Fourth Industrial Revolution, ~2010, with the mainstreaming of smartphones and the beginning of IoT proliferation.
  • Fourth Industrial Revolution, ~2015, with significant advancements in AI and the beginning of the commercial use of drones.
  • Fourth Industrial Revolution, ~2020, with the increased adoption of 5G technology
  • Fourth Industrial Revolution, ~2020, with widespread remote work, 5G deployment, biotechnology advances, and and the rise of edge computing.
  • Fourth Industrial Revolution, ~2025, with breakthroughs in quantum computing, AR/VR adoption, and autonomous transportation.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Third Industrial Revolution (~1950s to ~2000s) – Characterized by the digital revolution involving the transition from analog to digital technologies.
  • Second Industrial Revolution (~1870 to ~1914) – Known for the advancements in steel production, electrification, and mass production.
  • First Industrial Revolution (~1760 to ~1840) – Marked by the introduction of water and steam power and mechanization of production.
• See: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Autonomous Vehicles, Cybersecurity, Healthcare Technology, Privacy Concerns, Workforce Automation, 3D Printing.

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References

2023

• (Wikipedia, 2023) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Industrial_Revolution Retrieved:2023-11-6.
  • "Fourth Industrial Revolution", "4IR", or "Industry 4.0" is a buzzword neologism describing rapid technological advancement in the 21st century. The term was popularised in 2016 by Klaus Schwab, the World Economic Forum founder and executive chairman, who says that the changes show a significant shift in industrial capitalism. A part of this phase of industrial change is the joining of technologies like artificial intelligence, gene editing, to advanced robotics that blur the lines between the physical, digital, and biological worlds. Throughout this, fundamental shifts are taking place in how the global production and supply network operates through ongoing automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices, using modern smart technology, large-scale machine-to-machine communication (M2M), and the Internet of things (IoT). This integration results in increasing automation, improving communication and self-monitoring, and the use of smart machines that can analyse and diagnose issues without the need for human intervention. It also represents a social, political, and economic shift from the digital age of the late 1990s and early 2000s to an era of embedded connectivity distinguished by the omni-use and commonness of technological use throughout society (e.g. a metaverse) that changes the ways humans experience and know the world around them. It posits that we have created and are entering an augmented social reality compared to just the natural senses and industrial ability of humans alone.

2019

• (Wikipedia, 2019) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Industrial_Revolution Retrieved:2019-2-21.
  • The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is the fourth major industrial era since the initial Industrial Revolution of the 18th century. It is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres, collectively referred to as cyber-physical systems. It is marked by emerging technology breakthroughs in a number of fields, including robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology, the Internet of Things, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), decentralized consensus, fifth-generation wireless technologies (5G), additive manufacturing/3D printing and fully autonomous vehicles. ...

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