The Year 2020 Accelerated Industry 4.0 | SMD Akp51v
Industry 4.0 concept means the development and implementation of technological advancements in businesses. You witness an increased usage of robotics and automation tools across all sectors. Also, skillset requirements undergo evolution in several professions. This post will explore the different aspects of industry 4.0 accelerated by the year 2020.
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We glow the brightest in our Darkest Hour.
Because of the year 2020, all of the digital revolutions which were supposed to be pending for another 30 to 50 years is about to be finished within the next 2 to 3 years. I am 101% optimistic/idealistic about it.
Not for Industry 4.0; prepare for Industry 5.0.
When the machines will replace the human workers freeing them for non-mundane activities...
One of the key aspects of Industry 4.0 has been the connection and communication among the products composed of various technologies.
While the deployment of Robots in every part of the world is clearly a distant future, automated technologies have already replaced receptionists, guards, watch-keepers, and journalists, and now, in the year 2020, even the teachers are becoming more irrelevant at an ever-increasing rate.
However, there is not much need to panic since the decrease in employment of a specific nature has resulted in the rise of some newer or different modes of employment.
Writers used to work for the publishers who would censor the content; now the abundance of various publishing platforms has enabled each of us, be it you or me, to speak and create on our own terms.
Even the robots will need sufficiently skilled human support.
Still, the adoption of the in-demand skills by the established educational institutions cannot keep up with the dynamic world of this twenty-first century.
There is a complex bottleneck of a dozen different standards, rules, formalities, and protocols as well as the laws which need to be updated without losing uniformity.
Despite the Policy Paralysis or Regulatory Oversight, the institutions are trying to inculcate a Lifelong Learner mindset within the minds of the next generation.
And here is the main side-effect:
The Skills which may seem In-demand NOW might become irrelevant much sooner than our anticipations
If any task, job or activity can be written in the form of a set of 'Sequences' or 'Steps', then developing an Algorithm for the inherent Logic of such repetitive tasks and equipping the Machines with such a Set of Steps are extremely easy and realistically attainable objectives.
Let's think like a Business Person - What if you can get 'employees' who are one-time investments? No worries about Salaries. Assume or imagine that the Maintenance Costs are just some fraction of a Salary.
These 'employees' will never go on a strike, won't catch illnesses, won't need any leaves, and will be accurate consistently. They will always stay on the Site or in the Office throughout the year.
They won't have the mood swings, promotions, office politics, or bad moods due to someone else's poor driving skills.
Will you say NO to such an 'ideal' employee or resource?
See, this is really as far as Repetitive Non-Creative Tasks are concerned. It is especially true due to the Mechanical Nature of these tasks or formalities that the Machines can replace you and me as an Employee.
Thus, only Art shall win!
Industry 5.0 is yearning for a more human-friendly approach to the puzzle of Value and Valuables. In the world of the machine, a community acts more akin to a human community, socio-economic and cultural frictions are inevitable.
There will be a rate of Unemployment much higher than the rate of Employment. However, the reality is not some reflection of any dystopian science fiction novel.
Multiple well-respected authors have warned us against the influence of machines and technologies. Underestimating the power of Media has already damaged many countries and the social harmony within those otherwise well-performing nations. While we should never neglect the warnings of the wise, let's consider a more realistic approach, shall we?
In our immediate future, we might successfully prevent the chaos foretold in the legendary science fiction novels and essays.
You can guess already, what we humans would do if our lives are no longer busy with deadlines and the constant struggle of pleasing the world.
Historically, various civilizations had the opportunity to just stop thinking and rejoice in the exploitation of material consumables. Our ancestors totaled less than 7.8+ billion; their era and the passage of eons they existed in... were more 'manual' and 'less noisy'.
Even when humans were enjoying such luxuries of lesser restrictions and greater freedom; we were always a species that had been destined and designed to do one important thing - Thinking Creatively.
Worth of Creativity in the World of Passivity
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, or Big Data Analytics and Cloud Computing - they cannot do it! At least not as good as you and I can do it. We can come up with Ideas in real-time irrespective of the situation!
See, the machines can work well in a predefined or 'already known' familiar setup. The advanced iterations of these tools are not going to be affordable even to the major industry leaders.
And Economics will always have the last laugh; in other words, Policies and Laws will be enacted to maintain socio-economic stability and human development improvements.
So, full automation is great for the major metropolitan areas, but in reality, there will always be one domain in which the machines cannot beat us, humans.
Would you like an Artist, a Speaker, or a Poet to create something Beautiful, Good, and True? What does a Design Piece consisting of too strictly re-arranged Shapes sound like?
Imagine a world with a hundred percent symmetrical objects, designs, music or literature. Each of these outputs, be it the music or the movies, was created solely for pleasing the Algorithms. All rules might be followed without even a single error or imperfection.
Will it be really nice?
Humans need Emotions. Great pieces of artistry and even greater epiphanies in problem-solving tend to be grounded in our darkest hours. A human can adapt to any and every situation. After all, only imagination can have limits that we imagine ourselves.
Artists, communicators, inventors, scientists, sportspersons, dancers, musicians, poets, managers, negotiators, salespersons, lawyers, judges, leaders, and writers will never be obsolete. Industry 5.0 will resolve the psychological and operational issues of the old routines and establishments.
You will witness an increased demand for people management, empathy-based communication, leadership, psychological counseling, and personalized teaching. We will live in an Ecosystem driven by individuals' core values and storytelling to form a long-term trust-building.
Let's prepare for Industry 5.0 since the global situation in the year 2020 has accelerated the transition.
Just wondering, will such a higher degree of creative freedom result in a historical ascension in self-employment, entrepreneurship, and self-Learning?
Summary
Industry 4.0 is the hardware-side "Internet of Things" and data gathering. The next industrial upgrade of 5.0 will focus on a more organic and creative approach toward manufacturing and consumption outcomes.
Useful External Resources
During my online research, I encountered the following Specialists in this subject matter. Although I have shared my conclusions in this post, reading more will always help us understand a little more.
Essentra provided a collection of articles ranging from the unique novelty of Industry 5.0 to the sensitive topic of how employees might respond to such a modern work environment.
MasterControl has an optimistic article written by James Jordin featuring some essential policy advice regarding the systemic risks of automation.
Daniel Sontag created a Medium Post explaining the difference between IoT, Industry 4.0, and Industry 5.0 with the potential or real-life use-cases in the Industry 4.0 Blog.
As usual, you will discover vast literature already available in the Research Journals and several informative resources on this topic. The more we read, write, listen, discuss and write, the better we become. I wish you all the best when you enjoy unlimited access to knowledge and multiple perspectives.
I am Akp51v, now listening to some music.
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