Vinay Lohar Confronting the Fourth Industrial Revolution

India, Brazil, China, Russia, and the United States have the potential to become the most powerful empires in the fourth industrial revolution. No, this is not about artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain, user behavior analytics (UBA) and big data analytics (BDA). The future is more about letting go of the dogmas, overcoming orthodoxy and getting rid of bureaucracy. These three factors, dogmas, orthodoxy and bureaucracy cause social unrest, add chaos to societies as they try to progress and allow foreign powers to destabilize stable economies. Last but not least, these countries need to have strategies to starkly reduce overpopulation. The fourth industrial revolution cannot sustain excess overpopulation. If overpopulation is not controlled, it will lead to human extinction.

The needs of the hour are policies and frameworks. On the 11th of October 2018, India took the next step in shaping the future of emerging technology policy with the new Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution India, opened by the World Economic Forum, the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution India will work in collaboration with the government on a national level to co-design new policy frameworks and protocols for emerging technology alongside leaders from business, academia, start-ups, and international organizations.

“The fourth industrial revolution will change how we produce, how we consume, how we communicate and even how we live,” said Klaus Schwab, founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum. This changes the entire perspective that we had twenty years ago. Apart from AI, ML, BDA, and UBA what we often neglect is a future that promises to be vegan. A vegan future will assure that farmers across the globe, be they in America, Brazil, China or India will have enough to do and will contribute to a noble cause of abandoning animal cruelty. AI, ML, BDA and a new science close to UBA that could be termed as EBA (entity behavior analytics) which studies a broader spectrum for any life form other than humans, will help us to create a better future.

It is time that our global centers of excellence for the fourth industrial revolution bring together leaders, governments, companies, civil society and experts from around the world to co-operate and mastermind innovative approaches to frame the policy and governance of technology. This framing of policies will be useless if countries like Brazil, China and India do not abandon orthodoxy, bureaucracy and social dogmas. If tradition and culture do not support a climate neutral and eco-friendly future, it is best to discard them.

American tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and IBM can innovate concepts that were seldom imagined. Now we need this effort to be applied in the right direction. Instead of looking at the market demand and creating a disastrous future, we need to innovate products that help life forms sustain and allow future generations to live a better life.

Russia, on the other hand, is an ideal candidate for development and innovation. They have much potential. The Kremlin does not tolerate orthodoxy and dogmas and is ready to do away with bureaucracy under the able leadership of Putin. Israel and Germany can contribute a lot to innovation. Israel has been the land of innovation in the last few decades. Germany is known for its technological excellence in the automotive sector, healthcare, and energy. As the fourth industrial revolution progresses the focus will not be jobs but sustenance of an enhanced quality of life for humans and animals alike. It is important to understand that this is the primary objective. Thus, a smooth transition needs to be planned for the next five decades. The fourth industrial revolution demands a huge change in our mindsets. We need to be open to new ideas that help us create a sustainable and just life on this planet.