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The Fourth Industrial Revolution

The Fourth Industrial Revolution

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  • Create Date：2022-09-26 06:57:23
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  • Author：Klaus Schwab
  • ISBN：1524758868
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Summary

World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab， Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum， explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolu-tion， which will fundamentally alter how we live and work。

Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale， scope and complexity from any that have come before。 Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical， digital and biological worlds， the developments are affecting all disciplines， economies， industries and governments， and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human。

Artificial intelligence is already all around us， from supercomputers， drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing， DNA sequencing， smart thermostats， wear-able sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand。 But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development。 Imagine "smart factories" in which global systems of manu-facturing are coordinated virtually， or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials。

The fourth industrial revolution， says Schwab， is more significant， and its ramifications more profound， than in any prior period of human history。

He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government， business， civil society and individu-als。 Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future--one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them。 We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frame-works that advance progress。

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Reviews

Mat ，

Mostly a book about technology changing。 If you are already aware based on your other parts of your life， this book isn't for you。 Mostly a book about technology changing。 If you are already aware based on your other parts of your life， this book isn't for you。 。。。more

Dariusz Wasztyl ，

Wizja przyszłości w niej przedstawiona jest w stanie nieco poszerzyć nasze horyzonty。

David ，

A brief and somewhat superficial overview of the current （as of 2015） state of Technology and Civilisation as viewed by the Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum （hence representing the neoliberal globalist Davos crowd）。 To his credit， he tries hard to stay neutral and present the facts and trends as they are without too much bias， including many dangers and pitfalls that will have to be overcome。 Unfortunately （and perhaps inevitably given the short length） there are few pr A brief and somewhat superficial overview of the current （as of 2015） state of Technology and Civilisation as viewed by the Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum （hence representing the neoliberal globalist Davos crowd）。 To his credit， he tries hard to stay neutral and present the facts and trends as they are without too much bias， including many dangers and pitfalls that will have to be overcome。 Unfortunately （and perhaps inevitably given the short length） there are few proposed solutions， just an outline of the issues that we'll need to contend with in the coming decades。 I am hopeful that the 2018 sequel "Shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution" addresses these concerns with some concrete solutions。 。。。more

Dr。 Jeff Daniels ，

tl;drSchwab's Industry 4。0 features ubiquitous computing， pervasive connections， working different， increasing speed， new business models， and AI-enabled solutions。 Interesting to see how this has played out over the past 5 years。 Overall this book would be better suited as an essay。 The work lacks structure and fails to identify the policy and implementation measures needed to realize some of the concepts discussed in the book。 Overall， Schwab does not make a compelling case for Industry 4。0 an tl;drSchwab's Industry 4。0 features ubiquitous computing， pervasive connections， working different， increasing speed， new business models， and AI-enabled solutions。 Interesting to see how this has played out over the past 5 years。 Overall this book would be better suited as an essay。 The work lacks structure and fails to identify the policy and implementation measures needed to realize some of the concepts discussed in the book。 Overall， Schwab does not make a compelling case for Industry 4。0 and why technologies such as AI， mobile， IoT， and even quantum computing is included in his definition of Industry 4。0。 Many of the examples used are tired。 Consider the example， the phone in your pocket has more processing power than the Apollo mission computers。 Really？ I mean nearly 50 years later it should be。 Has Schwab heard of Gordon Moore？ I think he mentioned in the "survey" part of the book （appendix） which offered very little insight other than Davos attendees responded to a survey instrument。1。 We still do not have widespread autonomous vehicles on the road， we are arguably at Level 2 which is "partial automation。" 2。 Instagram and Facebook are mentioned numerous times。 Are they really part of the "industrial" revolution？ Maybe it's digital products rather than physical products that they create， but the industrial product creation is missing。 Interesting to note， in 2022 facebook realized a staggering $230B+ single day loss。3。 The Internet of Things standards continue to be largely non-existent or ignored。 Comparing the example of standards for electricity， manufacturers will need to define the standard to increase adoption。4。 Mobility and connectivity are natural extensions of the Information Age that started in the 50's。5。 Artificial Intelligence has origins with Newell and Marvin Minsky in the 1950's。 With advancements in hardware processor technology， we are beginning to apply AI in new ways。 Again a natural extension of the Information Age。6。 Schwab highlights the need for trust， agile methods of working， changing skills， etc。 These are table stakes for modern business leaders。 In summary， this book is a collection of interesting observations， thoughts， and anecdotes but lacks in a number of areas: scitentific research， policy， and practical implementation。 When compared to foundational work by Jacques Ellul or George Gilder， this work is interesting， but adds little。 。。。more

André Jan ，

Jissie， now mankind has to handle another of these disasters。

Mohamed ，

In the beginning， it is good explaining the 4th industrial revolution but then things get a bit boring and the writer's ideas are not really logical。 If you're interested in learning about Industry 4。0， I wouldn't recommend this book。 Even just reading online is better。 In the beginning， it is good explaining the 4th industrial revolution but then things get a bit boring and the writer's ideas are not really logical。 If you're interested in learning about Industry 4。0， I wouldn't recommend this book。 Even just reading online is better。 。。。more

Argyros Singh ，

Schwab si concentra su tre aspetti che caratterizzano - a suo dire - la quarta rivoluzione industriale: velocità; portata e intensità; l'impatto sui sistemi。Le precedenti rivoluzioni industriali hanno avuto una velocità lineare: questa， esponenziale。 La rivoluzione digitale è alla base di questa trasformazione， combinando diverse tecnologie， ma è ancora più ampia della sfera digitale: coinvolge anche aspetti filosofici， sul chi siamo e stiamo diventando。E per Schwab， in questo saggio， sono tre g Schwab si concentra su tre aspetti che caratterizzano - a suo dire - la quarta rivoluzione industriale: velocità; portata e intensità; l'impatto sui sistemi。Le precedenti rivoluzioni industriali hanno avuto una velocità lineare: questa， esponenziale。 La rivoluzione digitale è alla base di questa trasformazione， combinando diverse tecnologie， ma è ancora più ampia della sfera digitale: coinvolge anche aspetti filosofici， sul chi siamo e stiamo diventando。E per Schwab， in questo saggio， sono tre gli obiettivi: aumentare la consapevolezza sulle nuove e future tecnologie; trovare un modello per esaminare in maniera organica la rivoluzione; formare una piattaforma per promuovere la collaborazione tra pubblico e privato su questi nuovi temi e tecnologie。 。。。more

Katarzyna Wojutyńska ，

I think it should be updated as word has changed a lot over last few years

Maulik Maharjan ，

For the contents that were written for the policy makers and the administrators， it might have been much better if were written in justified text format。 The left alignment was difficult for the eyes to read。 The author has done well in explaining the timelines of various industrial revolutions and has peculiarly warned us about the exponential growth of 4th industrial revolution and how our legal frameworks are not ready to govern them。

Glenn ，

Target audience are the technological laggards whom are unaware of leading and future technological capability。

Stephen Radentz ，

Not exactly what I expected。 His views seem to be right on track。 It will be up to us to choose the moral and ethical route to a perfect future for humanity！

Kydroon ，

From my perception， it is a dull list of the current disrupting technologies with an even more vague future outline。 I am not surprised， as my bias is to be careful with evaluations and predictions out of the economic area。 Besides authors coming from other disciplines， such as neuroscience eg。 Daniel Kahneman， they tend to fall into the "I am the expert and will explain to you the future。" This is not the way the future unfolds; it can not be planned or forecasted。 It is something emerging， and From my perception， it is a dull list of the current disrupting technologies with an even more vague future outline。 I am not surprised， as my bias is to be careful with evaluations and predictions out of the economic area。 Besides authors coming from other disciplines， such as neuroscience eg。 Daniel Kahneman， they tend to fall into the "I am the expert and will explain to you the future。" This is not the way the future unfolds; it can not be planned or forecasted。 It is something emerging， and the best strategy is to embrace change。My motivation was to get something as a summary of what exactly going on in the WEF content context， and again， I am not surprised to summarize: nothing you should not already know。I gave up on chapter 6 from 12。。。 。。。more

Ly Dam ，

Một cuốn sách cơ bản để hiểu về cuộc Cách mạng công nghiệp lần thứ 4。 Tuy nhiên sách viết cho các nhà lãnh đạo quốc gia， nên tương đối khô khan。Cuốn sách mang đến cho mình cảm giác: Thế giới những năm tới sẽ chuyển động rất nhanh， của cải sẽ được phân bổ lại vào tay những người biết nắm bắt công nghệ， và người nghèo sẽ ngày càng nghèo và bị đẩy ra khỏi các công việc thường ngày nếu không thể bắt kịp được bước tiến của thời đại mới。

Valentin Jozic ，

Whether you're aware of WEF's globalization and The Great Reset agenda or not， this book is a must-read for a leader who wants to get a glimpse of what the future will look like。Read it and prepare your strategic moves accordingly。 Whether you're aware of WEF's globalization and The Great Reset agenda or not， this book is a must-read for a leader who wants to get a glimpse of what the future will look like。Read it and prepare your strategic moves accordingly。 。。。more

Ben Scott ，

Went into this book expecting to be terrified and angered by the content。 I found it to actually be seemingly impartial， and well balanced in presenting both the risks and opportunities of emerging technologies。 That being said。。。I did read certain sections with nauseous apprehension at some proposed concepts which do not align with my moral compass whatsoever （designer babies anyone！？）。。。 I remain conscious of nudge theory， and I concede that the more we dive into rhetoric around these technolo Went into this book expecting to be terrified and angered by the content。 I found it to actually be seemingly impartial， and well balanced in presenting both the risks and opportunities of emerging technologies。 That being said。。。I did read certain sections with nauseous apprehension at some proposed concepts which do not align with my moral compass whatsoever （designer babies anyone！？）。。。 I remain conscious of nudge theory， and I concede that the more we dive into rhetoric around these technologies and entertain dialogue， the more society will become accustomed to the proposed outcomes。 Look at how fast society ran like lemmings off cliffs over pandemic responses just because they were chasing the carrot on a stick。I also accept that in this current day and age where innovation drives us forward at warp-speed， many of these identified technologies are already in existence， or at least well on the way to being fully realised。 I think we need to engage with the conversations or risk our fears being brushed aside as the globalists stampede us toward a dystopian future with augmented reality， genetically engineered humanity， and zero privacy or individual rights （under the banner of the collective good of humanity of course）。。。 。。。more

Marduk ，

Honestly， Klaus Schwab gets a lot of shit for his dystopian sounding out-of-context quotes， but this is a case where the messenger gets punished for the messenge。 Chip injections， made-to-order commodified designer babies， clothes connected to the internet， big data decisionmaking algorithms， who the hell looks forward to any of that？ But it's coming regardless。 Because it's effective。 Just like bloated supermarkets， highways and bloated people in bloated offices。Klaus Schwab may just be the onl Honestly， Klaus Schwab gets a lot of shit for his dystopian sounding out-of-context quotes， but this is a case where the messenger gets punished for the messenge。 Chip injections， made-to-order commodified designer babies， clothes connected to the internet， big data decisionmaking algorithms， who the hell looks forward to any of that？ But it's coming regardless。 Because it's effective。 Just like bloated supermarkets， highways and bloated people in bloated offices。Klaus Schwab may just be the only guy both knowledgeable about these encroaching changes， as well as attempting to open up a public discussion on them。 Fear and aversion are natural reactions to these topics， especially considering the risks。 This is where the memes about him stem from。 But to my surprise， Schwab actually did a good job pointing out all the risks and dangers involved。 Apparently he has his feet （at least somewhat） firmly on the ground and not Mars， despite what his attire might occasionally suggest。This book makes for a disjointed reading due to the number of topics touched and it leaves an unmistakeable buzzword hangover afterwards: "enabling， horizontal， smart-， flat hierarchy， disruptive， collaborative， integrated， cloud-based， innovative， decentralized" etc etc。 But such things are par for the course anyway in this sphere。 。。。more

Pooja Saxena ，

2。5

Reem AlDisi ，

“Let us together shape a future that works for all by putting people first， empowering them and constantly reminding ourselves that all of these new technologies are first and foremost tools made by people for people。” I liked the book。 It is analyzing the aspects of the current industrial revolution and presenting its opportunities and risks in a very structured manner。

Michał Wilczyński ，

Good description of macrotrends and how different fields will affect each other and change society as a whole with how technology advances。 Nice appendix on critical moments/changes for 4th revolution to start snowballing into our lives。Unfortunately it's clear that author has no recent hands on experience with current tech since a lot of predictions are simply over optimistic。 Not always because of tech limitations but also because of "why do we even need this？"。Either way， for high level view Good description of macrotrends and how different fields will affect each other and change society as a whole with how technology advances。 Nice appendix on critical moments/changes for 4th revolution to start snowballing into our lives。Unfortunately it's clear that author has no recent hands on experience with current tech since a lot of predictions are simply over optimistic。 Not always because of tech limitations but also because of "why do we even need this？"。Either way， for high level view - still relevant in 2022 （partially due to overoptimistic predictions and partially due to COVID pandemic）。 。。。more

Jeronimo Wagner ，

The book illustrates the many changes that are likely to happen in the future due to an exponential advancement in technology。 Schwab shows how some changes are already in place and how those changes will drastically transformed the way we live and think of humanity。

Mark ，

A dullard of a man leading globalism towards hegemony over individual rights notwithstanding the utter tripe found in this feckless farce of a book。

Ailed 2282 ，

No es el tipo de libro que creo da una perspectiva correcta y realista acerca del futuro。 Está escrito desde una cierta posición y ésta posición afecta la perspectiva correcta o que la mayoría de la gente y países vive。

Fortunato Russo ，

It’s very good book mainly because the theory that the author tries to defend。 The use of the new technologies in many aspects。 The book worths to be read。

 ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ，

A glimpse at the next 15 years of the world from the perspective of a notorious global elite puppet master Klaus Schwab。 Highly suggest reading if you don't want to be steamrolled by innovation， tech， and the global macroeconomy。 A glimpse at the next 15 years of the world from the perspective of a notorious global elite puppet master Klaus Schwab。 Highly suggest reading if you don't want to be steamrolled by innovation， tech， and the global macroeconomy。 。。。more

Bart ，

Deeply disappointing！ Since Klaus Schwab recently became the kind of the “guru” for conspiracy communities， I was expecting some insider threads to be brought up in this book。 Unfortunately， this book doesn't teach， inform or let you understand anything。 The author presents himself as an expert， but when you read this book， you get the impression that he just copied the headlines of the most trending innovations or concepts and then jumbled them together without understanding what the real progr Deeply disappointing！ Since Klaus Schwab recently became the kind of the “guru” for conspiracy communities， I was expecting some insider threads to be brought up in this book。 Unfortunately， this book doesn't teach， inform or let you understand anything。 The author presents himself as an expert， but when you read this book， you get the impression that he just copied the headlines of the most trending innovations or concepts and then jumbled them together without understanding what the real progress is made or what are struggles with implementing them。 None of the topics raised are analyzed deeply enough to give the reader any insight。 What's worse， it might lead readers unfamiliar with the subject to completely opposite conclusions to what is currently developed or researched。 At the end of the book， the author provides the readers with statistics but in the form of a fortune cookie， yet again without any context， explanation， analysis， or interpretation。 So， in reality， they are entirely useless without that information。 I found this book a waste of my time！ 。。。more

Tuấn Đỗ ，

Smartcontracts。com

Jeainny ，

Schwab awakened me to the importance of women participating in building our own futures。 The 4th industrial revolution includes jarring forecasts such as 47% of U。S。 white-collar jobs becoming automated。 What’s crucial here is that automation will affect men and women differently， even perhaps stall progress toward equality。 “From positions at call centers in emerging markets （the source of livelihoods for large numbers of young female workers who are the first in their families to work） to reta Schwab awakened me to the importance of women participating in building our own futures。 The 4th industrial revolution includes jarring forecasts such as 47% of U。S。 white-collar jobs becoming automated。 What’s crucial here is that automation will affect men and women differently， even perhaps stall progress toward equality。 “From positions at call centers in emerging markets （the source of livelihoods for large numbers of young female workers who are the first in their families to work） to retail and administrative roles in developed economics （a key employer for lower-middle-class women）， are at risk。”“Because men still tend to dominate computer science， mathematical and engineering professions， increased demand for specialized technical skills may exacerbate gender inequalities。” As a software engineer， I’m privy to the mental barriers of a woman studying STEM。 It’s more important than ever for women to build technical skills and break into these fields。 We have to be a part of building our future。 。。。more

Kamil Sutula ，

Miałem spore oczekiwania do tej pozycji - słyszałem pochlebne komentarze od kolegów i tematyka jest bardzo na czasie。 Pierwsza połowa książki mnie bardzo rozczarowała， te same informacje powielają się co kilka stron。 Mało merytoryki， a dużo "bicia piany" przez autora。 Książkę się bardzo trudno czyta i często nie wiedziałem co autor ma na myśli， być może to kwestia tłumaczenia？ Druga połowa jest już bardziej ciekawa。 Jest tam sporo przepowiedni （popartych badaniami）， co może się wydarzyć za kilka Miałem spore oczekiwania do tej pozycji - słyszałem pochlebne komentarze od kolegów i tematyka jest bardzo na czasie。 Pierwsza połowa książki mnie bardzo rozczarowała， te same informacje powielają się co kilka stron。 Mało merytoryki， a dużo "bicia piany" przez autora。 Książkę się bardzo trudno czyta i często nie wiedziałem co autor ma na myśli， być może to kwestia tłumaczenia？ Druga połowa jest już bardziej ciekawa。 Jest tam sporo przepowiedni （popartych badaniami）， co może się wydarzyć za kilka lat。 Polecam dla osób zajmujących się digitalizacją przemysłu。 。。。more

Chris ，

A technocrats fantasy of tinkering with humanity。 A wet dream-like fantasy for him and many others， a nightmare for the rest of us。Using technology for oppression and creating a super-elite is not a good thing- for anyone。。。。The hubris of actually publishing this manuscript is a great heads-up though。Worth reading if you want to see a preview non-fiction future of our planet where techno neo-serfdom， reigns。 Forever。

Jeremy Orbe-Smith ，

Uh … yikes。 On page one of the Introduction， Schwab says he wants to “shape the new technology revolution， which entails nothing less than a transformation of humankind，” “in a fusion of technologies across the physical， digital and biological worlds” for a “profound and systemic change。” “Today we are at the beginning of a fourth industrial revolution，” he states。 “It began at the turn of this century and builds on the digital revolution。 It is characterized by a much more ubiquitous and mobile Uh … yikes。 On page one of the Introduction， Schwab says he wants to “shape the new technology revolution， which entails nothing less than a transformation of humankind，” “in a fusion of technologies across the physical， digital and biological worlds” for a “profound and systemic change。” “Today we are at the beginning of a fourth industrial revolution，” he states。 “It began at the turn of this century and builds on the digital revolution。 It is characterized by a much more ubiquitous and mobile internet， by smaller and more powerful sensors that have become cheaper， and by artificial intelligence and machine learning。” “Occurring simultaneously are waves of further breakthroughs in areas ranging from gene sequencing to nanotechnology， from renewables to quantum computing。 It is the fusion of these technologies and their interaction across the physical， digital and biological domains that make the fourth industrial revolution fundamentally different from previous revolutions。” “We have yet to grasp fully the speed and breadth of this new revolution，” he says。 “We are witnessing profound shifts across all industries，” “on the societal front， a paradigm shift is underway，” “the changes are historic in terms of their size， speed and scope，” and it all “involves the transformation of entire systems， across （and within） countries， companies， industries and society as a whole。” “The fourth industrial revolution， however， is not only about smart and connected machines and systems。 Its scope is much wider。” That’s a pretty ominous start。 Because he believes these changes are inevitable， a sort of fated destiny， this becomes the pretext for a covert bid for power; his book makes it clear that he believes that he and the members of the World Economic Forum （WEF） that he established in 1971 are the only ones who can understand all the monumental changes and shepherd the world through them。 As he puts it: “Shaping the fourth industrial revolution to ensure that it is empowering and human-centred， rather than divisive and dehumanizing， is not a task for any single stakeholder or sector or for any one region， industry or culture。 The fundamental and global nature of this revolution means it will affect and be influenced by all countries， economies， sectors and people。 It is， therefore， critical that we invest attention and energy in multistakeholder cooperation across academic， social， political， national and industry boundaries。” Read this carefully。 “Empowering and human-centred” sound good; that first sentence seems to imply that no one group should be in charge。 But look more closely。 As the book goes on， he calls for the creation of an organization that is not under the jurisdiction of any one country， but which will， in fact， govern all “countries， economies， sectors and people，” by directing/coordinating the “multistakeholder cooperation across academic， social， political， national and industry boundaries。” Like， y’know， the WEF。 In other words， the attempted power grab is hidden in plain sight:“I have two primary concerns about factors that may limit the potential of the fourth industrial revolution to be effectively and cohesively realized。 First， I feel that the required levels of leadership and understanding of the changes underway， across all sectors， are low when contrasted with the need to rethink our economic， social and political systems to respond to the fourth industrial revolution。 As a result， both at the national and global levels， the requisite institutional framework to govern the diffusion of innovation and mitigate the disruption is inadequate at best and， at worst， absent altogether。 Second， the world lacks a consistent， positive and common narrative that outlines the opportunities and challenges of the fourth industrial revolution， a narrative that is essential if we are to empower a diverse set of individuals and communities and avoid a popular backlash against the fundamental changes。” Again， read that carefully。 He believes it is a REQUIREMENT （“requisite”） to create an institutional framework to govern a GLOBAL system run by high-level leaders， and he wants to create an official worldwide “narrative” that is “essential” to “avoid a popular backlash” that he is already planning to put down。 He’s just doing them a favor: “With governments and government based structures lagging behind in the regulatory space， it may actually be up to the private sector and non-state actors to take the lead。” After all， “governments must also adapt to the fact that power is also shifting from state to non-state actors， and from established institutions to loose networks。 New technologies and the social groupings and interactions they foster allow virtually anyone to exercise influence in a way that would have been inconceivable just a few years ago。 […] Policymakers are finding it harder to effect change。 They are constrained by rival power centres including the transnational， provincial， local and even the individual。 Micro-powers are now capable of constraining macro-powers such as national governments。” In other words， here is his unconscious confession that individuals such as Klaus Schwab and “micro-powers” such as the WEF are now capable of constraining macro-powers such as national governments。 He predicts that “the fusion of the physical， digital and biological worlds will further transcend time/space limitations in such a way as to encourage mobility。 One of the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution will therefore be the governance of human mobility to ensure that its benefits are fully realized by aligning sovereign rights and obligations with individual rights and aspirations， reconciling national and human security and finding ways to maintain social harmony in the midst of increasing diversity。” And who will be doing all this governing， hmm？ Perhaps the WEF and their stakeholders？ And who elected them？He repeats it again and again throughout the book。 The “complexity and interconnectedness [of the transformations driven by this industrial revolution] across all sectors imply that all stakeholders of global society — governments， business， academia， and civil society — have a responsibility to work together to better understand the emerging trends。 Shared understanding is particularly critical if we are to shape a collective future that reflects common objectives and values。 We must have a comprehensive and globally shared view of how technology is changing our lives。 […] There has never been a time of greater promise or potential peril。 My concern， however， is that decision-makers are too often caught in traditional， linear （and non-disruptive） thinking。” Furthermore， “the career incentives and funding conditions in universities today favour incremental， conservative research over bold and innovative programmes。 One antidote to research conservatism in academia is to encourage more commercial forms of research。” So in response， he is proposing non-traditional， circular， disruptive thinking that will create radical （non-incremental） programs and for-profit research， and he is advocating that we need global coordination for all this， directed by the WEF。 （He mentions “Project MainStream， the World Economic Forum’s initiative to accelerate the transition to the circular economy，” “which is regenerative by design and works by decoupling growth and resource needs，” but is a “circular” economy — in which there is no growth， simply circular movement — truly feasible， let alone “sustainable”？ What about the Second Law of Thermodynamics？） “It is only by bringing together and working in collaboration with leaders from business， government， civil society， faith， academia and the young generation that it becomes possible to obtain a holistic perspective on what is going on。 In addition， this is critical to develop and implement integrated ideas and solutions that will result in sustainable change。 This is the principle embedded in the multistakeholder theory （what the World Economic Forum communities often call the Spirit of Davos）， which I first proposed in a book published in 1971。 Boundaries between sectors and professions are artificial and are proving to be increasingly counterproductive。 More than ever， it is essential to dissolve these barriers by engaging the power of networks to forge partnerships。 Companies and organizations that fail to do this and do not walk the talk by building diverse teams will have a difficult time adjusting to the disruptions of the digital age。” “This will require collaborative and flexible structure that reflect the integration of various ecosystems and which take fully into account all stakeholders， bringing together the public and private sectors， as well as the most knowledgeable minds in the world from all backgrounds。 Second， building on a shared understanding， we need to develop positive， common and comprehensive narratives about how we can shape the fourth industrial revolution for current and future generations。 Although we may not know the precise content of these narratives， we do know critical features that they must contain。 […] Third， on the basis of raised awareness and shared narratives， we must embark on restructuring our economic， social and political systems to take full advantage of the opportunities presented。 It is clear that our current decision-making systems and dominant models of wealth creation were designed and incrementally evolved throughout the first three industrial revolutions。 These systems， however， are no longer equipped to deliver on the current， and more to the point， the future generational needs in the context of the fourth industrial revolution。 This will clearly require systemic innovation and not small-scale adjustments or reforms at the margin。” “As the evolutionist Martin Nowak， a professor of mathematics and biology at Harvard University， reminds us， cooperation is ‘the only thing that will redeem mankind。’ […] With effective multistakeholder cooperation， I am convinced that the fourth industrial revolution has the potential to address — and possibly solve — the major challenges that the world currently faces。” “Redeem”？ So he is a religious fanatic seeking redemption for the sins of the world。 He explicitly talks about “The Way Forward，” which includes “applying four different types of intelligence，” including “Inspired （the soul），” which “focuses on nourishing the creative impulse and lifting humanity to a new collective and moral consciousness based on a shared sense of destiny。” This is a collectivist religion （and since one of the few figures he mentions favorably is Marx， his religion is probably some sort of synthetic Hegelian nonsense）。 “The world is fast changing， hyper-connected， ever more complex and becoming more fragmented but we can still shape our future in a way that benefits all。 The window of opportunity for doing so is now。” He wants a total revolution， and he wants it NOW。 And what powers will the unelected one-world global government have？ Well， just to start with， modest Schwab has a totalitarian vision， saying that “the era we currently live in， the Anthropocene or Human Age， marks the first time in the history of the world that human activities are the primary force in shaping all life-sustaining systems on earth，” and he characterizes the 4th Industrial Revolution as “enhanced cognitive power [that] is augmenting human production，” through “ubiquitous and mobile internet， […] and by artificial intelligence and machine learning。” “The fusion of digital， physical and biological technologies driving the current changes will serve to enhance human labour and cognition。” But first he needs to gain control of transportation， and so he pushes for self-driving cars all connected to the internet: “According to BMW 8% of cars worldwide， or 84 million， were connected to the internet in some way。 That number will grow to 22%， or 290 million cars， by 2020。” “The automotive industry has developed systems monitoring attention and awareness that can stop cars when people are falling asleep while driving。” This is ostensibly about convenience and safety， but the massive push for self-driving cars （among other automated devices） also leads me to worry that government could shut off your transportation for disagreeing with them。 When you can sense the “attention and awareness” of individuals in a private room/car （and he notes that “insurance companies like Aetna are thinking about how sensors in a carpet could help if you’ve had a stroke。 They would detect any gait change and have a physical therapist visit”）， what happens when the government wants to root out dissidents？ Your car stops， and the carpet calls an armed soldier to visit。 Furthermore， driverless cars （and every other digital thing） would be vulnerable to hacking/cyber attacks。 Even Schwab acknowledges that “in the summer of 2015， two hackers demonstrated their ability to hack into a moving car， controlling its dashboard functions， steering， brakes etc。， all through the vehicle’s entertainment system。”Hackers are a legitimate worry。 “More than 50 billion devices are expected to be connected to the internet by 2020。 Even the Milky Way， the earth’s galaxy， contains only around 200 billion suns！” “It is economically feasible to connect literally anything to the internet。 […] All things will be smart and connected to the internet。 […] Sensors wired in cattle can communicate to each other through a mobile phone network， and can provide real-time data on cattle conditions from anywhere。 Experts suggest that， in the future， every （physical） product could be connected to ubiquitous communication infrastructure， and sensors everywhere will allow people to fully perceive their environment。” And， needless to say， be perceived by literally everything in their environment … and whoever else might be watching。 He even acknowledges that “Governments may start to find that their previous ways of collecting data are no longer needed， and may turn to big-data technologies to automate their current programmes，” and notes the “consequences of a potential ‘digital Pearl Habor’ （i。e。 digital hackers or terrorists paralysing infrastructure， leading to no food， fuel and power for weeks）” Nevertheless， despite the danger， he advocates for “smart cities，” “a global network of smart （network-driven） cities， countries and regional clusters” “with advances in sensors， optics and embedded processors。” As an example， he notes that “the city of Santander in northern Spain [already] has 20，000 sensors connecting buildings， infrastructure， transport， networks and utilities。” Of course， there is the “risk of collapse （total black out） if the energy system fails，” but he glosses over that。 He asks us to “consider remote monitoring — a widespread application of the IoT [“Internet Of Things”]。 Any package， pallet or container can now be equipped with a sensor， transmitter or radio frequency identification （RFID） tag that allows a company to track where it is as it moves through the supply chain — how it is performing， how it is being used， and so on。 […] In the near future， similar monitoring systems will also be applied to the movement and tracking of people。” “The tools of the fourth industrial revolution enable new forms of surveillance and other means of control。” In order to implement this “monitoring of urban mobility infrastructure，” “next-generation LED street lights can act as a platform for a host of sensing technologies that collect data on […] the movement of traffic and people。” （Remember that back in December of 2016， the WEF put out a futurist Tweet quoting Ida Auken， a member of Denmark’s parliament， enthusiastically saying “Welcome to 2030。 I own nothing， have no privacy， and life has never been better。” Meanwhile， he notes that “Ralph Lauren has developed a sports shirt that is designed to provide real-time workout data by measuring sweat output， heart rate， breathing intensity， etc。” But what happens when this is weaponized？） And that’s not all: “Synthetic biology is the next step。 It will provide us with the ability to customize organisms by writing DNA。 Setting aside the profound ethical issues this raises， these advances will not only have a profound and immediate impact on medicine but also on agriculture and the production of biofuels。” “SETTING ASIDE” the profound ethical issues？ O_OYep。 “With the fusion of technologies， a key theme of this book， unpredictable dynamics inherently surface， challenging existing legal and ethical frameworks。” For instance， “3D printing will become more pervasive to include integrated electronic components such as circuit boards and even human cells and organs。 Researchers are already working on 4D， a process that would create a new generation of self-altering products […] in health-related products such as implants designed to adapt to the human body。” He promotes “health devices” that will “send data to monitoring centres， or potentially release healing medicines automatically，” “digital tattoos [that] not only look cool but can perform useful tasks， like unlocking a car， entering mobile phone codes with a finger-point or tracking body processes，” and “smart tattoos and other unique chips [which] could help with identification and location。 Implanted devices will likely also help to communicate thoughts normally expressed verbally through a ‘built-in’ smart phone， and potentially unexpressed thoughts or moods by reading brainwaves and other signals。” “Reading brainwaves”？ Yep。 He wants “Designer beings” “whose genome was directly and deliberately edited，” despite the “risk of interaction between edited plants/animals human/environmental health，” and “misuse of genetic data by governments or companies。”（Review continues in comments。） 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Fourth Industrial Revolution

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Fourth Industrial Revolution&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Fourth Industrial Revolution&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0