By Reinaldo Dias, professor at Mackenzie Presbyterian University
We are surfing a new wave of radical changes in industrial production, the result of the convergence of robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technologies and artificial intelligence. This new industrial revolution, the fourth, also known as Industria 4.0, is causing very rapid changes in the industry and in the way business occurs in the market, in the relationship with customers and in the demand for their products.
Humanity has lived through three industrial revolutions since the 18th century. The first introduced the steam engine, went through the second characterized by the use of electricity and mass production, then the third, which had technology and automation as a reference, arriving in the current, the fourth, of the digital age.
The revolution we are experiencing is faster than the previous ones and causes significant changes in the way we produce, distribute and consume. The fourth ongoing industrial revolution is characterized by the acceleration of all innovative processes. According to Klaus Schwab, in his book “The fourth industrial revolution”: "We are on board a technological revolution that will fundamentally transform the way we live, work and relate. In its scale, scope and complexity, the transformation will be different from anything that human beings have experienced before ".
Industrial revolutions don't just affect technology. Throughout history they have transformed economic, political, social and environmental systems. Industry 4.0 will be no different. Its impacts will become more and more visible and this is happening at an unprecedented speed. Emerging technologies create new forms of mobility, commercialization, value generation and distribution of opportunities. The most important challenge we have today is to ensure that these opportunities are distributed equitably.
History teaches us that all revolutions have winners and losers. There is, therefore, an urgent need to ensure that more people, as much as possible, participate in this future of increasingly sophisticated technologies. It is up to the government to increase its investments in education, strengthening the teaching of science and mathematics based on new values. Industrial production will increasingly depend on education in areas that enable the training of talented people to create and manage high-performance processes based on values such as respect for the environment and human diversity.
Participation is essential in this process. Technological systems are not neutral, they express and reflect the ethics and intentions of their designers. In a political context, which we live in, of low confidence and great inequality, it is essential to find ways to make citizens increasingly able to build the future together, instead of taking risks in a scenario dominated by technologies that make them vulnerable, exclude them or impose unacceptable costs.
In its beginning, the fourth industrial revolution, there is an open window of opportunities for governments to act at all levels of articulation - municipal, state and federal. In several areas, there is the possibility of advances since the use of artificial intelligence in criminal justice, such as the use of drones to improve agricultural productivity. There is no sector of society immune to the changes that are taking place and those that are to come. What we have to guarantee is that Industry 4.0 is first and foremost centered on the human being, that those who make decisions, technological leaders and citizens in general must collaborate together and design systems based on shared human values. We have a great opportunity to ensure that the systems emerging from the fourth industrial revolution can enhance the common good, preserving human dignity and protecting the environment for future generations.
Reinaldo Dias is a professor at Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Campinas campus. Sociologist, PhD in Social Sciences and Master in Political Science from Unicamp. He specializes in Environmental Sciences.
Humanity has lived through three industrial revolutions since the 18th century. The first introduced the steam engine, went through the second characterized by the use of electricity and mass production, then the third, which had technology and automation as a reference, arriving in the current, the fourth, of the digital age.
The revolution we are experiencing is faster than the previous ones and causes significant changes in the way we produce, distribute and consume. The fourth ongoing industrial revolution is characterized by the acceleration of all innovative processes. According to Klaus Schwab, in his book “The fourth industrial revolution”: "We are on board a technological revolution that will fundamentally transform the way we live, work and relate. In its scale, scope and complexity, the transformation will be different from anything that human beings have experienced before ".
Industrial revolutions don't just affect technology. Throughout history they have transformed economic, political, social and environmental systems. Industry 4.0 will be no different. Its impacts will become more and more visible and this is happening at an unprecedented speed. Emerging technologies create new forms of mobility, commercialization, value generation and distribution of opportunities. The most important challenge we have today is to ensure that these opportunities are distributed equitably.
History teaches us that all revolutions have winners and losers. There is, therefore, an urgent need to ensure that more people, as much as possible, participate in this future of increasingly sophisticated technologies. It is up to the government to increase its investments in education, strengthening the teaching of science and mathematics based on new values. Industrial production will increasingly depend on education in areas that enable the training of talented people to create and manage high-performance processes based on values such as respect for the environment and human diversity.
Participation is essential in this process. Technological systems are not neutral, they express and reflect the ethics and intentions of their designers. In a political context, which we live in, of low confidence and great inequality, it is essential to find ways to make citizens increasingly able to build the future together, instead of taking risks in a scenario dominated by technologies that make them vulnerable, exclude them or impose unacceptable costs.
In its beginning, the fourth industrial revolution, there is an open window of opportunities for governments to act at all levels of articulation - municipal, state and federal. In several areas, there is the possibility of advances since the use of artificial intelligence in criminal justice, such as the use of drones to improve agricultural productivity. There is no sector of society immune to the changes that are taking place and those that are to come. What we have to guarantee is that Industry 4.0 is first and foremost centered on the human being, that those who make decisions, technological leaders and citizens in general must collaborate together and design systems based on shared human values. We have a great opportunity to ensure that the systems emerging from the fourth industrial revolution can enhance the common good, preserving human dignity and protecting the environment for future generations.
Reinaldo Dias is a professor at Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Campinas campus. Sociologist, PhD in Social Sciences and Master in Political Science from Unicamp. He specializes in Environmental Sciences.
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