The fourth industrial revolution (4th IR) is happening as we try to shape our lives and the lives of tomorrow’s generation. The day we moved from a simple agriculture-based society to steam engine, we have been counting the industrial revolutions. From steam engine to mechanisation of agriculture, which also saw the simple textile making becoming a manufacturing industry, all leading to more emphasis on science and technology, and mass production.
How much ever was produced we could consume even more. Somewhere along, we became a consumer society not knowing what to do with the wastage we produced. To catch up with the demands, we needed to go global and the best solution to that was digital technology.
And now we are in the fourth industrial revolution. It ought to be a walk in the breeze for the millennials, but for others it is all about adaptation. The world has been going through a transformation and we all have been slowly drifting into it.
But all the industrial revolutions required a certain strength to thrive and not just survive. In the past, it was more to do with muscle power. With the onset of science and technology, it was brain power; with digital technology, it was the knowledge of IT and coding.
And we can analyse that by going through the careers the families wanted their offsprings to take up. Initially, the noblest career to have was the teaching profession. By the time science and medicine were more defined, parents wanted their children to be doctors and engineers.
When the world of digital technology was shaping up, of course once again the elders in the family were quick to note the potential of qualifications in Information Technology. The dotcom industry had its hiccups, but the sector never had to look back simply because the potential was just too huge and never ending as in the case of medical transcription — all leading up to big data which is considered equivalent of oil.
So what is the 4th industrial revolution all about? Obviously it has to do with cloud, social, mobile, Internet of things (IOT) and artificial intelligence (AI). We have also seen some mishaps. But we have also seen the strength of citizen journalism through social media.
The difference is that this revolution is inclusive because all of these technologies can be utilised in every field we deal with today — whether it is banking, teaching, health, transportation, security or lifestyle.
So this time around, what should we urge the youngsters to take up? For one, the young ones are not really hanging around to hear the feedback. They are already part of the fourth industrial revolution. Secondly, they can opt for anything they want as long as technology is part of it. But more than any of the last three industrial revolutions, it is the mind that could be most essential strength — a healthy and creative mind.
For, all the initiatives that are being taken up in Oman and at global level show the significance ‘ideas’ are going to play for a successful career. The stress is on innovators and inventors and, of course, investors — the three ‘I’s. More and more jobs might be automated with the aid of AI.
Most importantly, no matter how many academic qualifications we can add up, there is nothing like owning a mind that generate original ideas. This is the era of selling ideas. There are more organisations than ever before to invest in ideas that are potential projects.
So the best gifts we can give youngsters could be an environment for building a healthy mind and becoming one of the smart citizens living in a smart city, ensuring cultural values are well secured and are environmentally conscious.
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