The first industrial revolution, at the end of the 18th century, brought the world a steam engine and marked the beginning of a hitherto unimaginable, accelerated development. In the middle of the 19th century, with the application of electricity, the world entered the second industrial revolution, which lasted until the 80s, when analog technology was replaced by digital and when computers and the Internet became the main drivers of social and industrial development (the Third Industrial revolution).

The notion of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in recent years is an unavoidable topic when talking about the progress and development of society, but also the economy. And while some believe that the world has stepped deep into it, other analysts say that we are just on the threshold and that the changes that the fourth industrial revolution will bring are still waiting for us.

The phases between the two industrial revolutions used to last significantly longer, a whole century passed between the first and the second, but today, only 40 years after the third, the world is entering the fourth industrial revolution with sure steps.

The term Fourth Industrial Revolution was first used by Klaus Schwab, director of the World Economic Forum, in 2015.

Previous industrial revolutions have mostly changed the way we work, while it seems that the latter will also affect the way we think and reduce, or completely close the gap between people and technology.

The fourth industrial revolution will change not only what we do, but also who we really are. It will affect our identity and all issues related to it: our sense of privacy, perception of ownership, spending patterns, time we dedicate to work, free time, the way we develop our careers, nurture our skills, meet people and nurture relationships with them that speaks to what extent does its integration really affect people...

We are witnessing that this is a global concept of digital transformation that indicates that we are entering a new industrial age.

Artificial intelligent (AI), Machine learning, IoT (Internet of things), nanotechnology, robotics, 3D printers, biotechnology, smart cities, Big Data… are just some of the changes that have already taken over the world and rapidly spread.

A new industrial age

When it comes to artificial intelligence, its research began in the 50s of the 20th century. However, the greatest momentum in development has been achieved in the last few years. Today, we call artificial intelligence the ability of machines / computers to simulate human intelligence. There is almost no term that has caused so much controversy in the modern world as artificial intelligence. While experts point out the benefits that we can have, but also that we already have from the development of artificial intelligence, there are numerous conspiracy theories about how machines will one day "rule the world".

According to today's AI systems, they are only capable of performing an individual and specific task. These systems are good at logical tasks, but are not capable of intuition, empathy, or emotional intelligence. In other words, the fears that some people have are far from what is really happening in the development of AI.

The story of AI is followed by machine learning, thanks to which computers can learn without explicit programming. It is based on the idea that there are generic algorithms that can tell you something interesting about a set of data, without you having to write special code for the problem. Instead of writing code, you insert data into a generic algorithm, and it makes its own logic based on the data.

Thanks to machine learning, today we have autonomous cars, drones, it manages numerous applications that we use every day and make our lives easier, there are also social networks, famous voice assistants such as Alexa, Siri ... The list is really long.

Not so long ago, only our phones were "smart". Today, however, we have smart TVs, clocks, refrigerators, stoves, machines ... All these devices can communicate with each other, and we can control them from anywhere in the world. For this we can thank the term Internet of Things (IoT), which refers to billions of physical devices around the world equipped with sensors and software, which are currently connected to the Internet to collect and share data.

In 2020, between 20 and 200 billion such devices will be connected to the Internet, within the Internet of Things. IoT has the ambition to network smart devices in various cities, industrial plants, vehicles, in trade and healthcare, as well as many other domains. The extent to which the development of artificial intelligence has advanced and become important for every society is also shown by the fact that some countries have an official strategy on artificial intelligence.

Do we have reason to fear?

Now back to the question, should we fear the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and all the changes it brings? The fact is that changes are already happening, and they will be faster and more extensive. It is also true that the application managed to achieve a victory in the traditional strategy game Go over the multiple world champion, using special artificial neural networks for "learning".

But does that mean that machines will rule the world? Although this question is not without basis, a scenario in which machines take over power from humans is unlikely. Mark Raben, CTO of SAP for Central and Eastern Europe, also believes that we should not be afraid of machines and technology. Technology has always been with man and we can never look at them as two separate concepts. It is man who has created and is creating technology, we must be aware of that.

We need to keep reminding ourselves that all new technologies are primarily tools made by people for people. The fourth industrial revolution may threaten traditional human sources of meaning — work, community, family, and identity — or it may shift humanity into a new collective and moral consciousness based on a sense of shared destiny. The choice is only ours ..