OPINIONISTA: We all need to be ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution By Pinky Kekana
fire for the usage of the term Fourth Industrial Revolution in speeches, conversations and media interviews. There have been claims of it being a narrative chosen for electioneering and some have even created memes and have a comedic response to it with politicians being at the receiving end of the ridicule.
The whole world is being faced with a rapid transition in respect of “The Fourth” – some countries started a while ago, some are starting now, or have recently started, and some are yet to start. This was evident at the 2019 World Economic Forum at Davos. We find ourselves somewhere in the middle, and with national elections looming, we have to review where we are as a country, both good and bad, and on what we have to focus.
So, let’s “do”! But, more than that, we have the opportunity to be a leader in something about which the world will sit up and take notice. Critical changes are happening daily around us, both in SA and globally, whether it’s the way we power our cars, heat our homes or future-proof our industries.
Have you thought about the relationship between human beings and machines, not just in the tech industry, but how it will impact our daily lives, even those of the most technologically challenged amongst us? As a country, we have to not only plan for the current and imminent future of our lived experiences, but also for the lived experiences in the far future as 4IR reaches its peak.
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