Tag: 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR)

It’s hard to imagine a world without technology – the speed and ease of the internet, and daily innovation that continues to disrupt business models. Across industries, we are starting to notice businesses of all sizes embrace the digital economy to create value, increase efficiency, and adapt to stay ahead of competitors.

In 2020, the world found itself in a state of flux. A global pandemic disrupted the world order while the digital transformation that is the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), with its challenges and huge potential benefits, presented a fundamental paradigm shift.

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has submitted its preliminary Critical Skills List to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for review. The list is publicly available from the DHET’s website and companies should start reviewing it in anticipation of a round of public commentary before it is finalised.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on massive changes to the manufacturing industry, which has had to adapt to new operating models, an evolving consumer market, and disruptions in supply chain processes, all while keeping the workforce safe and healthy.

The Presidential Commission Report on the 4th Industrial Revolution makes several strategic recommendations, but it needs to be followed by agile policy and regulation. The Presidential Commission on the 4th Industrial Revolution (the Commission) was tasked with drawing up a strategy to enable South Africa to participate fully in the fourth industrial revolution (the 4IR). Its report was published on 23 October 2020.

A recent World Economic Forum report has highlighted evolving trends in the workforce, globally and in South Africa, as the local labour market faces the combined impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR).

There is little doubt that there is now a mass understanding, or at the very least, mass awareness, of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Paradoxically, that is thanks to the global COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are some serious 4IR policy considerations that do not seem to be getting the right levels of attention and focus on the African continent. 4IR has to be a matter of national agenda; national economic and political sovereignty & national security - necessitating commensurate prioritisation.

Today, Artificial Intelligence has the ability to automate white-collar work, in a shift many are calling the 'fourth industrial revolution'. Industry experts Pascal Bornet, Ian Barkin and Jochen Wirtz are at the helm of this Hyperautomation. In their new book, the team lays out what the future might look like.

Established two years ago to represent the interests of Internet of Things (IoT) technology service providers in South Africa, we are advocating for faster uptake of IoT technology by business and government in small, focused use cases.

Only by building risk intelligent organisations will leaders be able to overcome six distinct global threats that we have identified. Leaders at the highest levels of the private and public sectors must embrace an enterprise-wide culture of integrated risk management to secure their future.