In an article published on the 14th January 2016, Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of The World Economic Forum explains the Fourth Economic Revolution. Specifically he covers the challenges and opportunities, the impact on business and government, the impact on people and how it’s shaping the future.
The impact on people
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, finally, will change not only what we do but also who we are. It will affect our identity and all the issues associated with it: our sense of privacy, our notions of ownership, our consumption patterns, the time we devote to work and leisure, and how we develop our careers, cultivate our skills, meet people, and nurture relationships. It is already changing our health and leading to a “quantified” self, and sooner than we think it may lead to human augmentation. The list is endless because it is bound only by our imagination…
From a people and business development perspective, we are right in the middle of irreversible shifts in how we go about doing what we do. And we have been experiencing and adapting to this change organically over a relatively short period. To quote Darwin: “It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”
Mr Schwab’s full article is well worth the read: The Fourth Industrial Revolution: what it means, how to respond