The Fourth Industrial Revolution represents a fundamental change in the way we live, work and relate to one another. It is a new chapter in human development, enabled by extraordinary technology advances commensurate with those of the first, second and third industrial revolutions. These advances are merging the physical, digital and biological worlds in ways that create both huge promise and potential peril. The speed, breadth and depth of this revolution is forcing us to rethink how countries develop, how organisations create value and even what it means to be human. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is about more than just technology-driven change; it is an opportunity to help everyone, including leaders, policy-makers and people from all income groups and nations, to harness converging technologies in order to create an inclusive, human-centred future. The real opportunity is to look beyond technology, and find ways to give the greatest number of people the ability to positively impact their families, organisations and communities.
Health and Healthcare Systems
COVID-19 showed the importance of 5G for the economy and the environment
Governments need to prioritise building ultra high-speed 5G networks as an insurance against economic and environmental future threats.
Fourth Industrial Revolution
Why we must democratize access to high-performance computing
High-performance computing (HPC) systems are the tools needed to help understand data and, ultimately, the world around us.
Trade and Investment
7 lessons COVID-19 taught us about improving digital payments
COVID-19 accelerated the rise of digital payments, increasing financial inclusion but also raising risks. Here are seven ideas for how to combat them.
Geographies in Depth
Here's how satellite alerts are stopping deforestation in Africa
A satellite alert system has helped reduce deforestation in Africa by an average of 18% across nine central countries.
Emerging Technologies
This small device could go a long way in tackling food insecurity
The sensor would allow rapid diagnosis of nutrition deficiency in plants, enabling farmers to maximize crop yield in a sustainable way.
Fourth Industrial Revolution
Trusting machines versus humans. We must understand the difference
We see machines through a distorted lens compared to our criteria for trusting humans. Let's ask how we are judging them and how it is serving us.
Sustainable Development
What is vertical farming? And what are the benefits?
Energy Transition
Norway sets electric vehicle record
So-called battery electric vehicles (BEV) made up 54.3% of all new cars sold in the Nordic country in 2020. Just a decade ago, the percentage of electric cars sold in Norway was just 1%.
Trade and Investment
How COVID-19 accelerated the shift towards TradeTech
The pandemic has disrupted supply chains and global commerce, driving innovation in the TradeTech field.
Health and Healthcare Systems
Your computer can help scientists find a cure for COVID-19. Here’s how
Volunteers can get on with their everyday activities while their computers help to find cures for diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s, influenza and COVID.
Trade and Investment
Mapping TradeTech: Trade in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
This report aims to shed light on the landscape of emerging trade technologies and consider the opportunities and challenges for each, ranging from AI to IoT to 3D printing.
Geographies in Depth
Indian smart cities offer a model for pandemic recovery
These cities leveraged technology to coordinate between different city-level agencies to plan and monitor their COVID-19 emergency response.