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.
Industries in Depth
3 tech design principles to help curb digital repression
Activists and journalists from marginalized populations are often censored on social media due to algorithm bias. Three tech design principles can help.
Fourth Industrial Revolution
How have tech changes affected older workers?
The computer knowledge gap between older and younger workers in the US peaked in the 1980s and early 1990s, but had disappeared by the mid-2010s.
Fourth Industrial Revolution
Why digital connectivity needs to be a global priority
Nearly half the population in Central Asia is not digitally connected, and many of the unconnected live in rural and remote areas, writes a World Bank expert.
Fourth Industrial Revolution
Why tech needs to focus on the needs of marginalized groups
Marginalized groups are often not represented in technology development. What we need is inclusive participation to centre on the concerns of these groups.
Cybersecurity
Only cross-border, cross-sector collaboration will be enough to beat cybercrime
The recent rise in ransomware attacks shows how complex and sophisticated the current cyberthreat landscape has become. The public and private sector must up their game
Cybersecurity
3 principles to reinforce digital trust in supply chains
The recent Keseya VSA cyberattack demonstrated the threats to increasingly complex global digital supply chains. Here's how to strengthen them
Industries in Depth
This is how digital services are helping Kenyan farmers weather COVID and climate storms
Senior researcher David J. Spielmansaid has said that agri-tech apps are already helping build the climate resilience of small-scale farmers.
Health and Healthcare Systems
These AI projects are improving cancer screening and outcomes
Artificial intelligence is successfully being used to identify and treat cancer whilst building a knowledge database to help millions of people worldwide.
Emerging Technologies
How AI is serving up aces at Wimbledon - and what the technology means for the future of sport
IBM’s new AI tool can watch Wimbledon simultaneously across more than 18 courts and creates highlights packages within two minutes of a match finishing.
Health and Healthcare Systems
This face mask can tell you if you’ve got COVID-19
Engineers at MIT and Harvard University have designed a face mask that can diagnose the wearer with COVID-19 within 90 minutes with disposable sensors.
Fourth Industrial Revolution
Reskilling the workforce, one person at a lifetime
The Fourth Industrial Revolution will require new skills and a different mindset. Employees and employers alike will need to embrace lifelong learning.
Fourth Industrial Revolution
How drones in cities can help distribute medical supplies
Drones are being used in different “bubbles” across Israel to deliver medical goods, providing a proof of concept for their wide-spread commercial use.