tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/industry-4-0-27458/articlesIndustry 4.0 – The Conversation2023-12-13T13:35:56Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2179602023-12-13T13:35:56Z2023-12-13T13:35:56ZGrowth of autocracies will expand Chinese global influence via Belt and Road Initiative as it enters second decade<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564937/original/file-20231211-23-i4omvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Xi Jinping shakes hands with Chinese construction workers at a Belt and Road Initiative site in Trinidad and Tobago in June 2023.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/chinas-president-xi-jinping-shake-hands-with-chinese-news-photo/169793922">Frederic Dubray/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>China currently faces <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/10/18/chinas-economy-may-be-growing-faster-but-big-problems-remain">daunting challenges</a> in its domestic economy. But weakness in the real estate market and consumer spending at home is unlikely to stem its rising influence abroad. </p>
<p>In mid-October 2023, China celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its <a href="https://theconversation.com/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-turns-10-xi-announces-8-new-priorities-continues-push-for-global-influence-216014">Belt and Road Initiative</a>, or BRI. The BRI seeks to connect China with countries around the world via land and maritime networks, with the aim of improving regional integration, increasing trade and stimulating economic growth. Through the expansion of the BRI, China also sought to extend its global influence, especially in developing regions.</p>
<p>During its first decade, the initiative has faced a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/wadeshepard/2020/01/29/how-chinas-belt-and-road-became-a-global-trail-of-trouble/?sh=124d92a5443d">barrage of criticism from the West</a>, mainly for saddling countries with debt, inattention to environmental impact, and corruption. </p>
<p>It has also encountered unexpected challenges – notably the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to massive supply chain issues and restrictions on the movement of Chinese workers overseas. Yet, as the BRI heads into its second decade, global economic trends suggest it will continue to play an important role in spreading Chinese influence.</p>
<p>I’m an associate professor of global studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, where I teach about <a href="https://hss.cuhk.edu.cn/en/teacher/1126">business-government relations</a> in emerging economies. In my new book, “<a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/chinas-chance-to-lead/2C88E7D955049471664120981CDF2DFB">China’s Chance to Lead</a>,” I discuss which countries have already and are now most likely to seek out and benefit from Chinese spending. Understanding this helps explain why China and the Belt and Road Initiative are poised to benefit greatly from the global economy over the next several decades.</p>
<h2>Malaysia’s unlikely prominence</h2>
<p>In October 2013, China President Xi Jinping announced the launch of the maritime portion of the BRI during a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-24361172">speech in Jakarta</a>. At the time, Indonesia appeared to be an ideal candidate for Chinese infrastructure spending, yet it was Malaysia – surprisingly – that emerged as a far more avid participant. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564350/original/file-20231207-15-siwmcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Aerial view of massive housing development in Malaysia" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564350/original/file-20231207-15-siwmcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564350/original/file-20231207-15-siwmcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564350/original/file-20231207-15-siwmcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564350/original/file-20231207-15-siwmcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564350/original/file-20231207-15-siwmcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564350/original/file-20231207-15-siwmcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564350/original/file-20231207-15-siwmcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A view of Forest City, a condominium project launched under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, in Malaysia’s Johor state.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/this-aerial-photo-taken-on-june-16-2022-shows-a-general-news-photo/1241336726">Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>In comparison to Malaysia, Indonesia’s economy was <a href="https://www.worlddata.info/country-comparison.php?country1=IDN&country2=MYS">three times larger</a> and its population <a href="https://www.worlddata.info/country-comparison.php?country1=IDN&country2=MYS">nearly nine times bigger</a>, yet its gross domestic product per capita only was <a href="https://www.worlddata.info/country-comparison.php?country1=IDN&country2=MYS">one-third as high</a>. Indonesia also had enormous potential to increase its already substantial <a href="https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-country/idn/partner/chn">natural resources exports to China</a>. Taken together, these factors point to Indonesia’s far greater demand for infrastructure that would aid its economic development. </p>
<p>Furthermore, Indonesia’s democratic institutions were more conducive to attracting foreign investment. Its checks and balances enhanced policy stability and reduced political risk. By contrast, Malaysia’s government, which was dominated by a single ruling party coalition, lacked comparable checks and balances.</p>
<p>Despite Indonesia’s numerous advantages, Malaysia attracted a far larger volume of BRI spending during its first several years. Data provided by the <a href="https://www.aei.org/china-global-investment-tracker/">China Global Investment Tracker</a> indicates the value of newly announced infrastructure projects in Malaysia surged from US$3.5 billion in 2012 to over $8.6 billion in 2016. Spending in Indonesia, meanwhile, rose modestly from $3.75 billion to $3.77 billion over the same period.</p>
<p>Malaysia also enthusiastically participated in the <a href="https://www.cfr.org/china-digital-silk-road/">Digital Silk Road</a>, or DSR, launched in 2015. The DSR is the technological dimension of the BRI that aims to improve digital connectivity in Belt and Road countries. Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak engaged Jack Ma, the co-founder of Chinese tech giant Alibaba, as an adviser to develop e-commerce in 2016. This led to the creation in 2017 of a <a href="https://www.nst.com.my/business/2017/11/298317/%C2%A0digital-free-trade-zone-goes-live-nov-3">Digital Free Trade Zone</a>, an international e-commerce logistics hub next to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.</p>
<p>With this foundation in place, Malaysia’s capital went on to become the first city outside China to adopt Alibaba’s <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/alibaba-city-brain-artificial-intelligence-china-kuala-lumpur">City Brain</a> smart city solution in January 2018. City Brain uses the wealth of urban data to effectively allocate public resources, improve social governance and promote sustainable urban development. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pivotal-year-city-brain-other-middle-east-ai-news-carrington-malin-/">Dubai and other cities in the Middle East</a> followed. </p>
<p>Digital Silk Road projects in Indonesia during that period were far fewer, slower and less ambitious. They primarily involved the expansion of <a href="https://www.lse.ac.uk/ideas/Assets/Documents/updates/2022-SU-IndoChina-Updated.pdf">Chinese smartphone and e-commerce firms</a> in Indonesia.</p>
<p>What accounts for these contrasting responses? The short answer: their political regimes. And understanding that could be key to the global spread of Chinese influence in the coming years.</p>
<h2>State-owned business and clientelism</h2>
<p>In the lead-up to the May 2018 election, Malaysia’s ruling party and its allies <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/186810341803700307">worried they could lose power</a> after six decades of rule. Desperate to bolster support, Najib quickly identified <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2021/10/what-happened-to-chinas-bri-projects-in-malaysia/">numerous infrastructure megaprojects</a> in which Chinese state-owned businesses could partner with Malaysian counterparts.</p>
<p>Indonesia, by contrast, placed far greater emphasis on projects led by private business. For example, the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, “<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/workers-are-dying-in-the-ev-industrys-tainted-city/">the world’s epicenter for nickel production</a>,” is one of the largest Chinese investments in Indonesia and a joint venture between private Chinese and Indonesian companies. </p>
<p>As I discuss in <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/chinas-chance-to-lead/2C88E7D955049471664120981CDF2DFB">my book</a>, when rulers in autocracies with semi-competitive elections, like Malaysia’s, have a weak hold on power, their desire for Chinese spending is amplified. This relates to <a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095617734">clientelism</a>, or the delivery of goods and services in exchange for political support.</p>
<p>A higher level of state control in autocracies grants political leaders greater influence over the allocation of clientelist benefits, which aids leaders’ reelection efforts. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564351/original/file-20231207-27-yxvnt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Najib Razak, prime minister of Malaysia, and Jack Ma Yun, founder of Alibaba Group, stand and clap" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564351/original/file-20231207-27-yxvnt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564351/original/file-20231207-27-yxvnt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564351/original/file-20231207-27-yxvnt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564351/original/file-20231207-27-yxvnt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564351/original/file-20231207-27-yxvnt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564351/original/file-20231207-27-yxvnt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564351/original/file-20231207-27-yxvnt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Najib Razak, left, then-prime minister of Malaysia, and Jack Ma, Alibaba Group founder and executive chairman, attend a launch ceremony of the Digital Free Trade Zone in Kuala Lumpur.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/najib-razak-prime-minister-of-malaysia-and-jack-ma-yun-news-photo/1092858894">Thomas Yau/South China Morning Post via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Economic trends that will benefit China</h2>
<p>Even if China’s future growth is lower than the pre-pandemic period, these four features of the global economy are poised to benefit China and the Belt and Road Initiative over the next several decades. </p>
<p><strong>1. Global rise of autocracies</strong> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.v-dem.net/documents/29/V-dem_democracyreport2023_lowres.pdf">Over 60% of developing countries</a> are autocratic, according to data provided by the <a href="https://www.v-dem.net/">Varieties of Democracy Project</a>. This represented 72% of the global population in 2022, up from 46% in 2012. </p>
<p>For decades, the World Bank and affiliated regional development banks were the only game in town for development financing to low- and middle-income countries. Consequently, these global lenders could demand liberalizing reforms that were sometimes contrary to the interests of incumbent rulers, especially autocrats. </p>
<p>China’s rise has created an attractive alternative for autocratic regimes, especially since it does not impose the same kinds of conditions that often require loosening state controls on the corporate sector and reducing clientelism. Between 2014 and 2019, I find that 77% of total BRI spending on construction projects went to autocracies, and primarily to those with semi-competitive elections.</p>
<p><strong>2. Demand for Chinese infrastructure spending</strong></p>
<p>The economies of developing countries have grown <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDP_RPCH@WEO/WEOWORLD/ADVEC/OEMDC">more than twice as quickly</a> as advanced economies since 2000 and are projected to <a href="https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/research-insights/economy/the-world-in-2050.html">outpace advanced economies</a> in the decades ahead. On the eve of the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991, developing economies accounted for 37% of global GDP; by 2030, the International Monetary Fund projects they will account for <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/PPPSH@WEO/OEMDC/ADVEC/WEOWORLD">around 63%</a>. </p>
<p>At the same time, the global infrastructure financing gap – that is, the money needed to build and upgrade existing infrastructure – is estimated to be around <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/econographics/the-global-infrastructure-financing-gap-where-sovereign-wealth-funds-swfs-and-pension-funds-can-come-in/#:%7E:text=The%20global%20infrastructure%20financing%20gap%20is%20estimated%20to%20be%20around,year%20in%20the%20infrastructure%20sector.">$15 trillion</a> by 2040. To fill this gap, the world must spend just under $1 trillion more than the previous year up through 2040, with most of this spending directed toward low-income economies.</p>
<p>Because many of these fast-growing, low-income countries are predominantly semicompetitive autocracies, China is well-positioned to expand its global influence via the Belt and Road Initiative. </p>
<p><strong>3. Emerging tech</strong></p>
<p>The advent of what is known as <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-are-industry-4-0-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-and-4ir">Industry 4.0 technologies</a>, such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics and blockchain, could enable developing countries to <a href="https://hub.unido.org/sites/default/files/publications/Unlocking%20the%20Potential%20of%20Industry%204.0%20for%20Developing%20Countries.pdf">leapfrog stages of development</a>. </p>
<p>By creating <a href="https://www.nbr.org/publication/setting-the-standards-locking-in-chinas-technological-influence/">new technical standards</a> to be used in these emerging digital technologies, China aims to lock in Chinese digital products and services and lock out non-Chinese competitors wherever its standards are adopted. </p>
<p>In Tanzania, for example, the Chinese company contracted to deploy the national ICT broadband network constructed it to be <a href="https://www.cfr.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Chinas%20Digital%20Silk%20Road%20and%20Africas%20Technological%20Future_FINAL.pdf">compatible only with routers</a> made by Chinese firm Huawei. </p>
<p>Incorporating digital technologies into hard infrastructure projects – digital traffic sensors on roads, for example – presents more opportunities for China to use the Belt and Road Initiative to promote adoption of its technologies and standards globally.</p>
<p><strong>4. Urbanization</strong></p>
<p>Finally, the developing world’s <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/urbanization#:%7E:text=Across%20all%20countries%2C%20urban%20shares,from%2054%25%20in%202016">urban population</a> is expected to rise from 35% in 1990 to 65% by 2050. The biggest increases will likely occur in the semi-competitive autocracies of Africa. A desire for sustainable urbanization will increase the demand for infrastructure that incorporates digital technologies – once again amplifying the opportunity for China and the BRI. </p>
<p>Understanding what drives the demand for the Belt and Road Initiative, and the trends that will propel it into the future, is vital for the West to devise an effective strategy that counters China’s rising global influence.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217960/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Carney does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>More autocratic governments, growing urbanization and emerging technologies will bolster the spread of Chinese influence around the world, an expert on emerging economies explains.Richard Carney, Associate professor of global studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong, ShenzhenLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1990262023-02-27T17:15:11Z2023-02-27T17:15:11ZWhy the promised fourth industrial revolution hasn’t happened yet<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508349/original/file-20230206-31-r2mcrm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">shutterstock</span> </figcaption></figure><p>It’s nearly a decade since the term <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Industrial_Revolution">“fourth industrial revolution”</a> <a href="https://en.acatech.de/project/industrie-4-0/">was coined</a>, yet many people won’t have heard of it, or know what it refers to.</p>
<p>Also known as industry 4.0, it’s a way of describing how connecting together different advanced technologies could transform how we make things. An example of this could be putting artificial intelligence (AI) into factory robots. </p>
<p>Although there’s no formal agreement we are living through this new age, it’s a sign of the importance with which many people regard these developments and their potential. The previous industrial revolutions were: the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution">rise of steam power</a> in the late 18th century, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Industrial_Revolution">use of electricity to power machines</a> at the end of the 19th century and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Revolution">shift to digital electronics</a> that started in the 1970s.</p>
<p>These were defined by clear milestones. But many emerging technologies could claim to be part of industry 4.0. These include virtual reality (VR) to simulate what’s going on in an assembly line, and 3D printing. There are also lesser known developments such as digital twins – virtual models that accurately reflect the behaviour of physical objects such as wind turbines or aircraft engines.</p>
<p>Any technology that is “smart” or “cyber-physical” — where the lines between the digital and physical worlds are blurred — can claim to be part of the fourth industrial revolution.</p>
<p>But many companies appear to have been slow to take advantage of these developments. Here, we’ll show why that could be and the changes that may be necessary to ensure that transformative technologies live up to their potential.</p>
<h2>A stalled revolution?</h2>
<p>A supply chain describes the entire system for producing a product, from raw materials to delivering the finished article to a consumer. So it’s useful to look at the impact industry 4.0 technologies have had on these chains.</p>
<p>It’s difficult to measure how much of an effect specific technologies might be having on the economy. However, one thing we can do is see what impact they have made on decision makers in companies.</p>
<p>One of us (Ralf Seifert) <a href="https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/supply-chain/the-supply-chain-agenda-keeps-growing-how-will-you-adapt/">recently published a survey</a> of several hundred senior executives conducted. The survey asked the executives their views on managing supply chains.</p>
<p>None of the top priorities listed by the executives relate to industry 4.0. Headline-grabbing technologies strongly associated with the fourth industrial revolution, such as AI and machine learning, the internet of things, robotics and 3D printing are in the bottom third of priorities.</p>
<p>A look at online trends also reveals that searches for “industry 4.0” peaked in 2019, but have since dropped to a significantly lower level.</p>
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<img alt="Industrial engineer using VR technology for industrial design" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507923/original/file-20230202-7442-rr6yh6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C15%2C5104%2C2858&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507923/original/file-20230202-7442-rr6yh6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507923/original/file-20230202-7442-rr6yh6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507923/original/file-20230202-7442-rr6yh6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507923/original/file-20230202-7442-rr6yh6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507923/original/file-20230202-7442-rr6yh6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507923/original/file-20230202-7442-rr6yh6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Virtual reality is one of the technologies that’s expected to drive the fourth industrial revolution.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/factory-female-industrial-engineer-wearing-virtual-1335833918">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>There could be a number of potential reasons for this disappointing embrace of industry 4.0 by companies. <a href="https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/au/pdf/2020/fourth-industrial-revolution-benchmark.pdf">In 2020, a survey by the accounting giant KPMG</a> showed that, of all industry 4.0 technologies, only cloud computing had reached an advanced — though still incomplete — level of implementation.</p>
<p>For many businesses, the benefits of other important technologies remain obscure. The daily pressures of service and cost take precedent, so it takes effort to move away from familiar solutions. This is consistent with the dip in searches for industry 4.0 — even as global supply chains have been <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2021/06/17/why-the-pandemic-has-disrupted-supply-chains/">disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic</a>, the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/29/suez-canal-is-moving-but-the-supply-chain-impact-could-last-months.html">blockage of the Suez Canal shipping lane in 2021</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/27/floods-in-europe-and-china-disrupt-global-shipping-supply-chains.html">floods hampering rail transport</a> and a shortage of shipping containers.</p>
<p>The KPMG report from 2020 found that less than half of business leaders had a good understanding of the term “fourth industrial revolution”.</p>
<h2>High risk, high scrutiny</h2>
<p>A lack of awareness is one hurdle for the adoption of industry 4.0 technologies. Another is the need to <a href="https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/the-real-industry-4-0-challenge/">build the business case</a> for expenditure on new technological solutions.</p>
<p>The more ambitious the technology, the higher the risk and scrutiny. Not every company has leaders ready to champion and sponsor innovation in the face of uncertain or less tangible outcomes.</p>
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<img alt="Additive manufacturing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507689/original/file-20230201-10196-z824zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C8%2C4609%2C3334&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507689/original/file-20230201-10196-z824zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507689/original/file-20230201-10196-z824zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507689/original/file-20230201-10196-z824zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507689/original/file-20230201-10196-z824zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507689/original/file-20230201-10196-z824zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507689/original/file-20230201-10196-z824zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Additive manufacturing, the industrial term for 3D printing, is regarded as a key Industry 4.0 technology.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Industry 4.0 initiatives can also lead to resistance to change among workers. IT departments, trained for years to seek out large enterprise solution providers, hesitate to recommend niche solutions from small companies — especially for technologies they’re not familiar with.</p>
<p>One way to address this is to commit resources to building separate teams tasked with identifying and prioritising industry 4.0 capabilities. Even then, however, there must be an alignment with the broader business strategies of a company.</p>
<h2>From crisis to opportunity</h2>
<p>The unprecedented supply chain disruptions over the last two years have pushed executives to consider reconfiguring their supply chains. More often than not, however, they are opting to do this in a conventional manner. </p>
<p>Reshoring (returning manufacturing to the company’s original country) and nearshoring (transferring manufacturing to a closer-by, rather than more distant, country) have become popular options for <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-05/us-factory-boom-heats-up-as-ceos-yank-production-out-of-china">companies looking to build the resilience of their supply chains</a>.</p>
<p>Industry 4.0 technologies have a role to play in this transition. For example, the rethinking of global supply chains came about through a need to reduce labour costs. </p>
<p>Driverless forklifts, or automated guided vehicles (AGVs), are one example of the way robotics can mitigate rising costs elsewhere. Additive manufacturing — the industrial name for 3D printing — can simplify and reduce the cost of production processes that involve two or more costly steps.</p>
<p>For supply chains that cross international borders, there will be an added incentive to use digital platforms for improving the ability to track inventory — a term covering everything from raw materials to finished products — and to help transport goods. This will help companies identify unplanned disruptions more quickly and react to them appropriately.</p>
<p>The very supply chain dysfunctions that made headlines and arguably slowed the short-term progress of industry 4.0 may yet prove to be the engine that finally delivers its promise.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199026/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>AI and 3D printing could transform the way we make things, but many companies have been slow to take advantage.Richard Markoff, Supply Chain Researcher, International Institute for Management Development (IMD)Ralf Seifert, Professor of Operations Management, International Institute for Management Development (IMD)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1806152022-05-05T02:12:42Z2022-05-05T02:12:42ZChina’s ‘innovation machine’: how it works, how it’s changing and why it matters<p>China has had the world’s fastest growing economy since the 1980s. A key driver of this extraordinary growth has been the country’s pragmatic system of innovation, which balances government steering and market-oriented entrepreneurs. </p>
<p>Right now, this system is undergoing changes which may have profound implications for the global economic and political order. </p>
<p>The Chinese government is pushing for better research and development, “smart manufacturing” facilities, and a more sophisticated digital economy. At the same time, tensions between China and the west are straining international cooperation in industries such as semiconductor and biopharmaceutical manufacturing.</p>
<p>Taken together with the shocks of the Covid pandemic, and particularly China’s rapid and large-scale lockdowns, these developments could lead to a decoupling of China’s innovation system from the rest of the world. </p>
<h2>Balancing government and market</h2>
<p>China’s current “<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/demystifying-chinas-innovation-machine-9780198861171?cc=fr&lang=en&">innovation machine</a>” began developing during the economic reforms of the late 1970s, which lessened the role of state ownership and central planning. Instead, room was made for the market to try new ideas through trial and error. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-get-rich-is-glorious-how-deng-xiaoping-set-china-on-a-path-to-rule-the-world-156836">'To get rich is glorious': how Deng Xiaoping set China on a path to rule the world</a>
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<p>The government sets regulations aligned to the state’s objectives, and may send signals to investors and entrepreneurs via its own investments or policy settings. But within this setting, private businesses pursue opportunities in their own interests. </p>
<p>However, freedom for businesses may be declining. Last year, the government cracked down on the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-07/china-s-central-bank-governor-vows-to-continue-fintech-crackdown">fintech</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-20/china-crackdown-private-tutoring/100392352">private tutoring</a> sectors, which were seen to be misaligned with government goals. </p>
<h2>Building quality alongside quantity</h2>
<p>China performs well on many measures of innovation performance, such as R&D expenditure, number of scientific and technological publications, numbers of STEM graduates and patents, and top university rankings. </p>
<p>Most of these indices, however, measure quantity rather than quality. So, for example, China has:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>produced <a href="https://www.natureindex.com/country-territory-research-output?type=share&list=China%3BUnited+States+of+America+%28USA%29">a huge number of scientific and technological publications</a>, but lags far behind the US in highly cited publications, which indicates the influence and originality of research </p></li>
<li><p>substantially <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/GB.XPD.RSDV.GD.ZS?locations=CN&start=2000&view=chart">increased R&D expenditure</a>. However, the proportion of its R&D expenditure on basic research, especially by enterprises, is still far lower than in many industrialised countries </p></li>
<li><p>educated many <a href="https://www.aip.org/fyi/2018/rapid-rise-chinas-stem-workforce-charted-national-science-board-report">more STEM graduates than any other country</a> in recent decades, but still lacks top-tier talent in many areas such as AI and semiconductors </p></li>
<li><p>has applied for the <a href="https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2020/article_0005.html">most international patents of any country</a>, but the quality of these patents measured by scientific influence and potential commercial value still lags international competitors. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Adding “quality” alongside “quantity” will be crucial to <a href="https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202103/17/WS60513ac4a31024ad0baaf959.html">China’s innovation ambitions</a>. </p>
<p>In the past, policies have aimed to “catch up” with known technologies used elsewhere, but China will need to shift focus to develop unknown and emerging technologies. This will require greater investment in longer-term basic research and reform of research culture to tolerate failure.</p>
<h2>Developing smart manufacturing</h2>
<p>Chinese firms can already translate complex designs into mass production with high precision and unmatched speed and cost. As a result, Chinese manufacturing is appealing to high-tech companies such as <a href="https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3163117/worlds-largest-iphone-factory-maintains-production-schedule-amid">Apple</a> and <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/4/18/tesla-and-other-firms-look-to-reopen-shanghai-factories-sources">Tesla</a>. </p>
<p>The next step is upgrading towards “industry 4.0” smart manufacturing, aligned with the core industries listed in the government’s <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2019/02/made-in-china-2025-explained/">Made in China 2025 blueprint</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-fourth-industrial-revolution-is-powering-the-rise-of-smart-manufacturing-57753">A fourth industrial revolution is powering the rise of smart manufacturing</a>
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<p>By 2020, China had built eleven “lighthouse factories” – benchmark smart manufacturers – the most of any country in the World Economic Forum’s “<a href="https://www.weforum.org/projects/global_lighthouse_network">global lighthouse network</a>”.</p>
<h2>Building an advanced digital economy</h2>
<p>China’s giant tech companies such as Alibaba, Tencent and Huawei are also using machine learning and big data analytics to innovate in other fields, including pharmaceutical research and <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/10/china-autonomous-driving-2021">autonomous driving</a>. </p>
<p>In China the regulations for biotechnology, bioengineering and biopharmaceuticals are relatively relaxed. This has <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/life-sciences/our-insights/the-dawn-of-china-biopharma-innovation">attracted researchers and investors</a> to several leading biotechnology “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clusters_of_Innovation">clusters</a>”.</p>
<p>China’s population of more than 1.4 billion people also means that, even for rare diseases, it has a large number of patients. Using large patient databases, companies are making advances in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/529009a">precision medicine</a> (treatments tailored to an individual’s genes, environment, and lifestyle).</p>
<p>The rising power of China’s big tech firms has seen the government step in to maintain fair market competition. <a href="https://www.bruegel.org/2021/09/opening-up-digital-platforms-and-reducing-anticompetitive-risks">Regulations force digital firms</a> to share user data and consolidate critical “platform goods”, such as mobile payments, across their ecosystems.</p>
<h2>International collaboration is key</h2>
<p>As we have seen in the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03626-1">recent triumph of COVID-19 vaccines</a>, global collaboration in R&D is hugely valuable. </p>
<p>However, there are signs that such collaboration between China and the West may be under threat. </p>
<p>The semiconductor manufacturing industry – making the chips and circuits which drive modern electronics – is currently global, but at risk of fragmentation. </p>
<p>Making chips requires huge amounts of knowledge and capital investment, and while China is the world’s largest consumer of semiconductors it relies heavily on imports. However, US sanctions mean many global semiconductor companies <a href="https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/restricting-trade-with-china-could-end-united-states-semiconductor-leadership">cannot sell in China</a>. </p>
<p>China is now investing <a href="https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3085362/china-has-new-us14-trillion-plan-seize-worlds-tech-crown-us">vast sums</a> in an attempt to be able to make all the semiconductors it needs. </p>
<p>If China succeeds in this, one consequence is that Chinese-made semiconductors will likely use different technical standards from the current ones.</p>
<h2>Different standards</h2>
<p>Diverging technical standards may seem like a minor issue, but it will make it more difficult for Chinese and Western technologies and products to work together. This in turn may reduce global trade and investment, with bad results for consumers.</p>
<p>Decoupling standards will increase the fracture between Chinese and Western digital innovation. This in turn will likely lead to further decoupling in finance, trade, and data.</p>
<p>At a time of heightened international tensions both China and the West need to be clear on the value of international collaboration in innovation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180615/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>From 2010–2014, while Vice President at Imperial College London, I collaborated with Huawei in forming the Data Science Institute, Imperial College London.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marina Yue Zhang and Mark Dodgson do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>China’s innovation plans and international trade tensions may risk an economic ‘decoupling’ with the West.Marina Yue Zhang, Associate Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Swinburne University of TechnologyDavid Gann, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Development and External Affairs, and Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Saïd Business School, University of OxfordMark Dodgson, Visiting Professor, Imperial College Business School, and Emeritus Professor, School of Business, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1540642021-02-08T19:05:52Z2021-02-08T19:05:52ZMachines can do most of a psychologist’s job. The industry must prepare for disruption<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382902/original/file-20210208-21-1x793mk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=157%2C0%2C3107%2C1828&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Psychology and other “helping professions” such as counselling and social work are often regarded as quintessentially human domains. Unlike workers in manual or routine jobs, psychologists generally see no threat to their career from advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence.</p>
<p>Economists largely agree. One of the most wide-ranging and influential surveys of the <a href="https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/">future of employment</a>, by Oxford economists Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne, rated the probability that psychology could be automated in the near future at a mere 0.43%. This work was initially carried out in 2013 and <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691172798/the-technology-trap">expanded upon in 2019</a>.</p>
<p>We are behavourial scientists studying organisational behaviour, and one of us (Ben Morrison) is also a registered psychologist. Our analysis <a href="https://www.psychology.org.au/inpsych/2017/april/innes/">over the past four years</a> shows the idea psychology cannot be automated is now out of date. </p>
<p>Psychology already makes use of many automated tools, and even without significant advances in AI we foresee significant impacts in the very near future.</p>
<h2>What do psychologists do all day?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/">Previous projections</a> assumed the work of a psychologist requires extensive empathic and intuitive skills. These are unlikely to be replicated by machines any time soon. </p>
<p>However, we argue the typical psychologist’s job has four primary components: assessment, formulation, intervention, and evaluation of outcome. Each component can already be automated to some extent.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Assessment of a client’s strengths and difficulties is largely carried out by computer-driven presentations of psychological tests, interpretation of results and the writing of interpretative reports. </p></li>
<li><p>The rules for diagnosis of conditions are far advanced, to the extent that decision trees are extensively used by practitioners. </p></li>
<li><p>Interventions are designed along formulaic lines, providing explicit rules for the presentation of guidance and problem solving, with exercises and reflections at specific points in the therapy. </p></li>
<li><p>Evaluation is largely a replay of the initial assessment. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Much of the work of the helping professional does not require empathy or intuition. Psychology has essentially laid the groundwork for the replication of human practice by a machine.</p>
<h2>A profession in denial?</h2>
<p>Nearly four years ago, we published an <a href="https://www.psychology.org.au/inpsych/2017/april/innes/">article</a> in the bulletin of the Australian Psychological Society, asking how AI and other advanced technologies would disrupt the helping professions. We were conservative in our predictions, but even so we suggested significant potential impacts on employment and education. </p>
<p>We were not arguing that so-called “strong” AI would emerge to replace humanity. We simply showed how the kind of narrow AI that currently exists (and is steadily improving) could invade the job territory of the helping professions. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382903/original/file-20210208-17-elgeqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382903/original/file-20210208-17-elgeqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382903/original/file-20210208-17-elgeqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382903/original/file-20210208-17-elgeqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382903/original/file-20210208-17-elgeqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382903/original/file-20210208-17-elgeqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382903/original/file-20210208-17-elgeqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">AI-driven mental health chatbots are already available.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>A range of AI-driven mental health apps are already available, such as <a href="http://www.cogniant.co/">Cogniant</a> and <a href="https://woebothealth.com/">Woebot</a>. Several such products adopt cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) procedures, widely considered the “<a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00004/full">gold standard</a>” of intervention for many psychological conditions.</p>
<p>These programs typically use artificially intelligent conversational agents, or chatbots, to provide a form of talking therapy that helps users manage their own mental health. Research on the <a href="https://mental.jmir.org/2017/2/e19/">technology</a> has <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/AJIM-11-2019-0316/full/html">already</a> shown <a href="https://www.jmir.org/2017/11/e399">great promise</a>.</p>
<p>Our concern about the future was not, however, shared among members of the helping professions. Still, we continue to <a href="https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/publications/is-the-future-threat-of-automation-to-the-professions-real-the-he">present</a> our <a href="https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/can-we-predict-the-outcomes-of-deep-learning-algorithms-that-simu-2">case</a> <a href="https://www.psychology.org.au/for-members/publications/inpsych/2020/Dec-Jan-Issue-6/By-Professor-John-Michael-Innes-FAPS1-and-Dr-Ben-W">widely</a>. </p>
<h2>AI deployment is accelerating</h2>
<p>Four years later, we believe the impacts of this technology may arrive even sooner than we thought. Three things in particular may drive this acceleration.</p>
<p>The first is the rapid progress in automated systems that can replicate (and sometimes exceed) human decision-making capacities. The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1138-y">development</a> of <a href="https://direct.mit.edu/books/book/4111/The-Deep-Learning-Revolution">deep learning algorithms</a> and the emergence of advanced <a href="https://www.newinchess.com/game-changer">predictive analytic systems</a> threaten the relevance of professionals. With access to big data in the psychological and related literature, AI systems can be used to assess and intervene with clients.</p>
<p>The second factor is an <a href="https://economics.mit.edu/files/17109">emerging</a> “tsunami” of <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Culture-of-AI-Everyday-Life-and-the-Digital-Revolution/Elliott/p/book/9781138230057">AI impacts</a> warned of by <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2053951717738104">economists</a>. Developments in information technology have not yet been reflected in widespread productivity gains, but as Canadian researchers Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans and Avi Goldfarb have <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167624518301136#!">argued</a>, it’s likely AI predictive ability will soon be a superior alternative to human judgement in many areas. This may trigger a significant restructuring of the employment market. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-has-boosted-telehealth-care-in-mental-health-so-lets-keep-it-up-137381">Coronavirus has boosted telehealth care in mental health, so let's keep it up</a>
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<p>The third factor is the COVID-19 pandemic. Demand for mental health services <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services/mental-health-services-in-australia/report-contents/mental-health-impact-of-covid-19">increased dramatically</a>, with crisis services such as Lifeline and Beyond Blue reporting 15-20% more contacts in 2020 than in 2019. Pandemic-related mental illness is not expected to peak until <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-17/covid-related-mental-illness-wont-peak-until-mid-next-year/12891862">mid 2021</a>.</p>
<p>At the same time, in-person care was often ruled out – in late April 2020, half of Medicare-funded mental health services were delivered remotely. Meditation and mindfulness apps like Headspace and Calm also saw <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/eladnatanson/2020/07/21/healthcare-apps-a-boon-today-and-tomorrow/?sh=7fcbb4071bb9">downloads soar</a>. </p>
<p>This provides further evidence that clients will readily engage in technology-mediated forms of therapy. At the very least, the improved efficiencies will increase the number of clients that can be managed by a single human psychologist. </p>
<h2>How many psychologists will we need?</h2>
<p>Given all this, how many human psychologists will the society of the very near future require? It’s a difficult question to answer.</p>
<p>As we have seen, it’s almost certain the work of psychologists can be replaced in large part by AI. Does this mean human psychologists <em>should</em> be replaced by AI? </p>
<p>Many of us may feel uncomfortable with this idea. However, we have a moral obligation to use the treatment that gives the best outcomes for patients. If an AI-based solution is found to be more effective, reliable and cost-effective, it should be adopted.</p>
<p>Governments and healthcare organisations are likely to have to address these issues in the near future. There will be impact upon the employment and training and education of professionals. </p>
<p>The professions need to be an integral part of the response. We urge psychology and related allied health professions to take a lead and not wilfully ignore the trends.</p>
<p>We recommend three concrete actions to improve the situation:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>boost investment in research into how humans and machines can work together in the assessment and treatment of mental health</p></li>
<li><p>encourage attention to technology among members of the profession</p></li>
<li><p>give technological impacts greater consideration in projecting the future landscape of the profession, particularly when thinking about job growth, education and training.</p></li>
</ul>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-to-get-mental-health-help-without-having-to-talk-on-the-phone-143491">5 ways to get mental health help without having to talk on the phone</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154064/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span> John Michael Innes is affiliated with the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at the Uiversity of South Australia in an honorary capacity, receiving no salary or honorarium and only office space The Centre conducts research iinto the impact of digitisation on society. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben W. Morrison has received funding from the Centre for Work Health and Safety to investigate perceptions of AI in the workplace. </span></em></p>Psychological assessment and treatment is based on well-defined rules, which makes it ripe for a robot takeover.John Michael Innes, Adjunct Professor, University of South AustraliaBen W. Morrison, Senior Lecturer, Organisational Psychology, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1526882021-01-25T15:00:06Z2021-01-25T15:00:06ZAs the world changes, science does too – and that’s a good thing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377154/original/file-20210105-15-1gco1pj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Science can become more open and inclusive and can shift its culture.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Suwit Rattiwan/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The term “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/09/02/what-is-industry-4-0-heres-a-super-easy-explanation-for-anyone/?sh=8deb2ac9788a">Industry 4.0</a>” has been used for years to describe the need for societies to adapt their work and productivity to the “4th Industrial Revolution”, in which new technologies bridge the virtual, physical and biological domains. These terms have become so dominant that <a href="https://www.4ir.gov.za">governments</a> have adopted them into their policies and planning.</p>
<p>Against this backdrop it is important to ask whether – and how – the world of science is effectively adapting to an ever more connected and data intensive world. Is there such a thing as “Science 4.0”? What does this mean for society?</p>
<p>As scientists who have been involved in research, technological development, advocacy, diplomacy and the realisation of societal benefits from science, we believe that yes, “Science 4.0” is real. It is about a revolution in which science is an integral part of society, rather than being confined to public or private laboratories and institutions of higher learning. It is about recognising that scientists are people, subjective and opinionated – and people are scientists, curious and eager to learn. It is about embracing new technologies to do better science more responsibly and more inclusively.</p>
<p>Over the past nearly three decades, we have observed trends that show what is possible. These include openness, the importance of data, artificial intelligence, inclusion and crucial changes in the culture of science. </p>
<h2>Openness</h2>
<p>The term “open science” was first captured by the <a href="https://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read">Budapest Open Access Initiative</a> in 2002. It originated from open source software and open access literature; it includes the openness of data, methods, software, results and publications.</p>
<p>Openness is a shift away from traditional thinking around the protectionism of intellectual property. Its <a href="https://content.iospress.com/articles/information-services-and-use/isu861">benefits to science</a> have become increasingly clear. </p>
<p>Today most organisations have policies of openness, from the <a href="https://osp.od.nih.gov/scientific-sharing/nih-data-management-and-sharing-activities-related-to-public-access-and-open-science/">National Institutes of Health in the US</a> to <a href="https://en.unesco.org/science-sustainable-future/open-science/recommendation">UNESCO</a>. The <a href="http://africanopenscience.org.za/">African Open Science Platform</a>, meanwhile, aims to grow open science practices across the continent. </p>
<p>Several business ventures have emerged. The <a href="https://www.cos.io/products/osf">Center for Open Science</a>, for instance, sees people generating value by helping scientists to make their science more open. </p>
<h2>Data-driven science</h2>
<p>Increasingly, scientific research involves very large data sets. From the massive <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1532046413001007">genomics data</a> to the <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2019.0060">data</a> expected from future telescopes, data-intensive research is becoming the norm. </p>
<p>There is a shift in the scientific method from, for example, single observations to large scale statistical analyses. This progression calls for new infrastructure models to support scientific research. <a href="https://www.labiotech.eu/genomics/cloud-genomics-big-data-problem/">Cloud computing technologies</a> are at the forefront of this shift; these combine easy access to and collaboration on data and analysis with high-performance computing.</p>
<p>Nowadays, data and codes are part of scientific publications. <a href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1435800">Containerisation</a>, a technology that packages code and the computer environment in which codes are run, helps make results easily reproducible by others. Containers can be shared and cited.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/cloud-computing-could-be-key-to-speeding-up-africas-development-121344">Cloud computing could be key to speeding up Africa's development</a>
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<h2>AI scientists</h2>
<p>Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a tool of science as both data storage and computing power have become cheaper. Machine learning (computer algorithms improving with experience) is <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200114074044.htm">accelerating the rate of discovery</a> in anything from drug development to image analysis.</p>
<p>AI is becoming advanced enough that <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/artificial-intelligence-evolving-all-itself">it could do the whole cycle from hypothesis to result</a>. As research accelerates, the rate of publications follows and AI <a href="https://iris.ai/">can even be used to sift through</a> the overwhelming literature. Scientific unions and other councils are also now <a href="https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/ai-and-society">discussing</a> the ethics of AI.</p>
<h2>Culture of science</h2>
<p>Science 4.0 is not just a transformation of scientific tools and methods. It also affects the culture of science and how we evaluate scientific work. <a href="http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2017/04/14/the-next-generation-of-science-outreach/">Outreach</a> is increasingly valued as a part of a scientist’s tasks. Counting publications and citations is limited and doesn’t reflect the true impact of research.</p>
<p>Scientists are also admitting that science is done by people – and that means acknowledging their failings. Misconduct by scientists is <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-19/science-brilliant-free-pass-bad-behaviour/9879704">not taken lightly</a>. Science is slowly becoming <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07782-3">more family friendly</a> too, with some <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2018/12/are-conferences-providing-enough-child-care-support-we-decided-find-out">conferences offering childcare</a> facilities.</p>
<p>One area that’s worth watching is the speed of science. The race to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 has demonstrated that science can be done fast, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-1015-0">albeit sometimes at the expense of quality</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/international-statistic-of-the-year-race-for-a-covid-19-vaccine-152064">International Statistic of the Year: Race for a COVID-19 vaccine</a>
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<p>This speed may become more common in some areas of science. And that’s potentially a good thing because it brings the benefits of science to more people, more rapidly.</p>
<h2>Inclusion</h2>
<p>However, these new ways of science won’t benefit everyone unless scientists have a serious conversation about inclusion. For example, the pandemic also showed a <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/women-in-science-may-suffer-lasting-career-damage-from-covid-19/">disproportionate effect on women scientists</a> as compared to men.</p>
<p>Inclusion has risen to the surface in recent years: minorities have <a href="https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/PT.3.3536">denounced</a> science as an unwelcoming space of rampant implicit bias that needs to be claimed by diverse identities. This has given rise to large grassroots visibility campaigns such as the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BlackInSTEM">#BlackInSTEM</a> hashtag on social media and open conversations about inclusion.</p>
<p>In the developing world, academic isolation is a multifaceted challenge. Academics in relative isolation can become the targets of <a href="https://predatoryjournals.com/publishers/">predatory publishers</a>. Developing countries can be led to giving away their data, for example genomics of endemic species, or oral traditions recorded without permission but with misplaced good intentions of preservation. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/global-academic-collaboration-a-new-form-of-colonisation-61382">Global academic collaboration: a new form of colonisation?</a>
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<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/international-research-collaborations-how-can-we-shift-the-power-towards-africa-142421">This situation is not sustainable</a>. <a href="http://trust-project.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/San-Code-of-RESEARCH-Ethics-Booklet-final.pdf">Initiatives are emerging</a> to ensure communities are involved and benefit from research carried out on them, on their environment, and ultimately their universe.</p>
<p>It is also worth noting the growth of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-we-tracked-the-eating-habits-of-snakes-in-africa-with-the-help-of-a-facebook-group-143569">citizen science</a> and <a href="https://www.zooniverse.org/">its evolution</a> from passive data gathering to participatory approaches to research.</p>
<h2>Role of Science 4.0 in a changing world</h2>
<p>Progress in science is not about bringing more people into an ivory tower. It is about breaking down the tower completely and helping scientists work with and among people. </p>
<p>As the world grapples with building back better, the scientific community needs to display engaged leadership and play an active, humanistic role in shaping policies, public perceptions and technologies for a sustainable future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152688/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>‘Science 4.0’ is real. It is about a revolution in which science is an integral part of society.Carolina Odman, Associate Professor, University of the Western CapeKevin Govender, Director, International Astronomical Union Office of Astronomy for DevelopmentLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1494282020-11-04T05:29:37Z2020-11-04T05:29:37ZHow Australia can reap the benefits and dodge the dangers of the Internet of Things<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367399/original/file-20201104-23-81noa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C24%2C5320%2C3536&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-internet-of-things-16542">Internet of Things</a> (IoT) is already all around us. Online devices have become essential in industries from manufacturing and healthcare to agriculture and environmental management, not to mention our own homes. Digital consulting firm Ovum <a href="https://www.acma.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-09/Communications%20report%202018-19.pdf">estimates</a> that by 2022 Australian homes will host more than 47 million IoT devices, and the value of the global market will exceed US$1 trillion. </p>
<p>The IoT presents great opportunities, but it brings many risks too. Problems <a href="https://theconversation.com/six-things-every-consumer-should-know-about-the-internet-of-things-78765">include</a> excessive surveillance, loss of privacy, transparency and control, and reliance on unsafe or unsuitable services or devices. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-internet-of-things-16542">Explainer: the Internet of Things</a>
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<p>In some places, such as the <a href="http://www.internet-of-things-research.eu/">European Union</a>, <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/dem/monitor/sites/default/files/DTM_Industrie%204.0.pdf">Germany</a>, <a href="https://www.rfid-alliance.com/KOREA-IoT%20Master%20Plan.pdf">South Korea</a> and the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/666943/DC-IoTUK_for_distribution.pdf">United Kingdom</a>, governments have been quick to develop policies and some limited regulation to take advantage of the technology and mitigate its <a href="https://petras-iot.org/">harmful impacts</a>. </p>
<p>Australia has been late to react. Even recent moves by the federal government to make IoT devices more secure have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-your-devices-spying-on-you-australias-very-small-step-to-make-the-internet-of-things-safer-145554">far behind</a> international developments.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://acola.org/hs5-internet-of-things-australia">report</a> launched today by the Australian Council of Learned Academies (<a href="https://acola.org">ACOLA</a>) may help get Australia up to speed. It supplies a wide-ranging, peer-reviewed base of evidence about opportunities, benefits and challenges the IoT presents Australia over the next decade.</p>
<h2>Benefits of the Internet of Things</h2>
<p>The report examines how we can improve our lives with IoT-related technologies. It explores a range of applications across Australian cities and rural, regional and remote areas.</p>
<p>Some IoT services are already available, such as the <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/cities/smart-cities/">Smart Cities and Suburbs</a> program run by local and federal governments. This program funds projects in areas such as traffic congestion, waste management and urban safety. </p>
<p>Health applications are also on the rise. The University of New England has piloted the remote monitoring of COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms using <a href="https://www.une.edu.au/connect/news/2020/04/unes-covid-19-virtual-care-response-pilot-monitors-arrive">IoT-enabled pulse oximeters</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/virtual-tools-real-fires-how-holograms-and-other-tech-could-help-outsmart-bushfires-126830">Augmented and virtual reality</a> applications too are becoming more common. IoT devices can track carbon emissions in supply chains and energy use in homes. IoT services can also help governments make public transport infrastructure more efficient. </p>
<p>The benefits of the IoT won’t only be felt in cities. There may be even more to be gained in rural, regional and remote areas. IoT can aid agriculture in many ways, as well as working to prevent and manage bushfires and other environmental disasters. Sophisticated remote learning and health care will also benefit people outside urban areas.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367400/original/file-20201104-23-7rgaei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367400/original/file-20201104-23-7rgaei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367400/original/file-20201104-23-7rgaei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367400/original/file-20201104-23-7rgaei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367400/original/file-20201104-23-7rgaei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=673&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367400/original/file-20201104-23-7rgaei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=673&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367400/original/file-20201104-23-7rgaei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=673&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">While some benefits of the IoT will be felt everywhere, some will have more impact in cities and others in rural, remote and regional areas.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">ACOLA</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<h2>Opportunities for the Australian economy</h2>
<p>The IoT presents critical opportunities for economic growth. In 2016-17, IoT activity was already worth A$74.3 billion to the Australian economy. </p>
<p>The IoT can facilitate more data-informed processes and automation (also known as <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-fourth-industrial-revolution-is-powering-the-rise-of-smart-manufacturing-57753">Industry 4.0</a>). This has immediate potential for substantial benefits. </p>
<p>One opportunity for Australia is niche manufacturing. Making bespoke products would be more efficient with IoT capability, which would let Australian businesses reach a consumer market with wide product ranges but low domestic volumes due to our small population.</p>
<p>Agricultural innovation enabled by the IoT, using Australia’s existing capabilities and expertise, is another promising area for investment.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/six-things-every-consumer-should-know-about-the-internet-of-things-78765">Six things every consumer should know about the 'Internet of Things'</a>
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<h2>Risks of the Internet of Things</h2>
<p>IoT devices can collect huge amounts of sensitive data, and controlling that data and keeping it secure presents significant risks. However, the Australian community is not well informed about these issues and some IoT providers are slow to explain appropriate and safe use of IoT devices and services. </p>
<p>These issues make it difficult for consumers to tell good practice from bad, and do not inspire trust in IoT. Lack of consistent international IoT standards can also make it difficult for different devices to work together, and creates a risk that users will be “locked in” to products from a single supplier.</p>
<p>In IoT systems it can also be very complex to determine who is responsible for any particular fault or issue, because of the many possible combinations of product, hardware, software and services. There will also be many contracts and user agreements, creating contractual complexity that adds to already difficult legal questions. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/are-your-devices-spying-on-you-australias-very-small-step-to-make-the-internet-of-things-safer-145554">Are your devices spying on you? Australia's very small step to make the Internet of Things safer</a>
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<p>The increased surveillance made possible by the IoT can lead to breaches of human rights. Partially or fully automated decision-making can also to discrimination and other socially unacceptable outcomes. </p>
<p>And while the IoT can assist environmental sustainability, it can also increase environmental costs and impacts. The ACOLA report estimates that by 2050 the IoT could consume between 1 and 5% of the world’s electricity.</p>
<p>Other risks of harmful social consequences include an increased potential for domestic violence, the targeting of children by malicious actors and corporate interests, increased social withdrawal and the exacerbation of existing inequalities for vulnerable populations. The recent death of a woman <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-12/review-of-telehealth-ordered-into-gulgong-hospital-death/12758644">in rural New South Wales being treated via telehealth</a> provides just one example of these risks. </p>
<h2>Maximising the benefits of the IoT</h2>
<p>The ACOLA report makes several recommendations for Australia to take advantage of the IoT while minimising its downsides.</p>
<p>ACOLA advocates a national approach, focusing on areas of strength. It recommends continuing investment in smart cities and regions, and more collaboration between industry, government and education. </p>
<p>ACOLA also recommends increased community engagement, better ethical and regulatory frameworks for data and baseline security standards. </p>
<p>The ACOLA report is only a beginning. More specific work needs to be done to make the IoT work for Australia and its citizens. </p>
<p>The report does outline key areas for future research. These include the actual experiences of people in smart cities and homes, the value of data, environmental impacts and the use of connected and autonomous vehicles.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149428/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kayleen Manwaring was commissioned (pro bono) to provide an input report into the ACOLA report. She has previously received funding from iappANZ.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Leonard chairs (pro bono) the IoT Alliance's Data Workstream. His consultancy Data Synergies advises both suppliers and customers of IoT devices and services as to privacy and other terms of data collection, use and sharing.</span></em></p>The Internet of Things will transform industry, agriculture, and our cities. But we need to consider carefully the risks as well as the rewards.Kayleen Manwaring, Senior Lecturer, School of Taxation & Business Law, UNSW SydneyPeter Leonard, Professor of Practice (IT Systems and Management and Business and Taxation Law), UNSW Business School, Sydney, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1471132020-10-02T02:07:50Z2020-10-02T02:07:50ZAdvanced apprenticeships will boost skills for future jobs, but not in time to counter COVID impacts<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361238/original/file-20201001-20-76k7oh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=521%2C0%2C4353%2C2835&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/on-hightech-factory-asian-engineer-talks-1335730934">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Australian government has released a series of manufacturing industry policies in the lead-up to the October 6 budget. Yesterday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/modern-manufacturing-strategy-australia-national-press-club-act">spoke about</a> a A$1.5 billion strategy to strengthen Australian manufacturing and supply chains. Last week, Education Minister Dan Tehan <a href="https://ministers.dese.gov.au/tehan/industry-pilot-strengthen-work-integrated-learning">announced</a> a A$7.2 million extension of advanced apprenticeship pilot programs across the country to teach students the high-level, specialist knowledge and skills they’ll need for industry jobs of the future. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/scott-morrison-names-six-priority-areas-in-1-5-billion-plan-to-boost-manufacturing-147213">Scott Morrison names six priority areas in $1.5 billion plan to boost manufacturing</a>
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<p>COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerabilities of Australian manufacturing. <a href="https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/theausinstitute/pages/3332/attachments/original/1595693276/A_Fair_Share_for_Australian_Manufacturing.pdf?1595693276">Recent research</a> ranked Australia lowest in the OECD for manufacturing self-sufficiency. </p>
<p>The government wants to expand work-integrated learning. Its aim is to strengthen the link between training and future industry needs, and significantly lift workforce skills to meet the requirements of the digitally driven <a href="https://www.weforum.org/focus/fourth-industrial-revolution">Fourth Industrial Revolution</a>. </p>
<p>The investments in Australia’s future workforce, businesses and economy are welcome. However, the training program will not solve the unemployment problems and skills mismatch in the short term, given COVID-19’s impact on the economy.</p>
<h2>Where do advanced apprenticeships fit into this?</h2>
<p>The main aim of advanced apprenticeships is to strengthen relationships between universities and industry to produce highly skilled graduates for an <a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/funding-and-incentives/industry-40">Industry 4.0-driven economy</a>. This is all the more important in light of the government’s <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/digital-business-plan-drive-australias-economic-recovery">JobMaker Digital Business Plan</a> to drive economic recovery.</p>
<p>Advanced (or higher) apprenticeships combine higher and vocational education. Student “apprentices” are exposed to a combination of systematic, <a href="https://www.ncver.edu.au/research-and-statistics/publications/all-publications/traditional-trade-apprenticeships-training-activity,-employer-incentives-and-international-practice">on-the-job (vocational) training <em>and</em> higher degree education</a>.</p>
<p>This approach is the basis of the German education and training system. In recent years, concerns about manufacturing’s decline in many developed economies have prompted governments to <a href="http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/international-relations/Pages/australia-germany-advisory-group.aspx">adopt aspects of the German model</a>. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-uk-is-rethinking-university-degrees-and-australia-should-too-82973">The UK is rethinking university degrees and Australia should too</a>
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<p>In Australia, Siemens, the AiGroup and Swinburne University launched the <a href="https://www.australianmanufacturing.com.au/40304/ai-group-teams-up-with-siemens-swinburne-university-to-deliver-high-level-industry-4-0-apprenticeship-initiative">first</a> digital technologies advanced apprenticeships pilot in 2017. In a two-year Associate Degree in Applied Technologies, student-apprentices work for a host employer and attend university for periods of 6-8 weeks followed by similar periods of applied learning in the workplace. They do 22 weeks of full-time study a year, with 26 weeks in the workplace and four weeks’ annual leave. The program has <a href="https://new.siemens.com/au/en/company/press-centre/2018/australian-training-awards-2018.html">won industry awards</a>. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361267/original/file-20201002-14-qawilb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Supervisor explains something to two students" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361267/original/file-20201002-14-qawilb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361267/original/file-20201002-14-qawilb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361267/original/file-20201002-14-qawilb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361267/original/file-20201002-14-qawilb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361267/original/file-20201002-14-qawilb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361267/original/file-20201002-14-qawilb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361267/original/file-20201002-14-qawilb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In advanced apprenticeship programs students divide their time by university and the workplace.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-young-students-technical-vocational-training-1265556712">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The extra funding will extend the program beyond Victoria to New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia.</p>
<h2>Preparing skills for future jobs</h2>
<p>Advanced apprenticeships are especially relevant to rapidly changing sectors such as advanced manufacturing. Higher-level skills are increasingly in demand as <a href="https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf">emerging and disruptive technologies</a> automate lower-level tasks. </p>
<p>Jobs that draw on digital and related skills have been growing more rapidly than jobs in the so-called legacy economy. This is because the technological innovations underpinning the digital economy demand higher-level skills. These disruptive technologies include artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning and digitisation. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/jobs-are-changing-and-fast-heres-what-the-vet-sector-and-employers-need-to-do-to-keep-up-118524">Jobs are changing, and fast. Here's what the VET sector (and employers) need to do to keep up</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/coronavirus-many-stooddown-workers-will-never-get-their-jobs-back/news-story/5bd06ec322c3fa6be84a471f47b24f66">COVID-19 has accelerated this trend</a>. The need for up-skilling and training is urgent, to ensure tomorrow’s graduates, as well as the existing workforce, have the skills to take advantage of job opportunities in the digital economy. </p>
<p>The federal government believes in the power of free markets. But it recognises <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/grw024">market failure exists</a> when it comes to students’ preferences for skills development versus educational institutions having the right training to meet future industry needs. As a result, many young people’s career expectations were concentrated in <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-youre-preparing-students-for-21st-century-jobs-youre-behind-the-times-131567">ten so-called “20th century” careers</a> such as doctors, teachers, lawyers and business managers. They could struggle to find relevant and consistent work in the future.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-youre-preparing-students-for-21st-century-jobs-youre-behind-the-times-131567">If you're preparing students for 21st century jobs, you're behind the times</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>This approach doesn’t offer a quick fix</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ncver.edu.au/research-and-statistics/publications/all-publications/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-the-implications-of-technological-disruption-for-australian-vet">Our research</a> highlights a major gap in Australia between what education and training providers are delivering and what business and industry need. Programs such as advanced apprenticeships in digital technologies will help to reduce this mismatch.</p>
<p>However, the pilot programs are not a silver bullet to solve the problems of skills and employability in Australian manufacturing, for several reasons.</p>
<p>First, this is a long-term solution. In advanced apprenticeship programs, students take two years to gain the associate degree and longer for a full university degree. Swinburne University’s first pilot intake in 2017 has only just gained undergraduate qualifications. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361269/original/file-20201002-24-1bj4ekx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two apprentices examine a component in a high-tech factory" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361269/original/file-20201002-24-1bj4ekx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361269/original/file-20201002-24-1bj4ekx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361269/original/file-20201002-24-1bj4ekx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361269/original/file-20201002-24-1bj4ekx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361269/original/file-20201002-24-1bj4ekx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361269/original/file-20201002-24-1bj4ekx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361269/original/file-20201002-24-1bj4ekx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students undertaking advanced apprenticeships take two years to complete an associate degree and longer for a full university degree.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-engineer-apprentice-examining-component-factory-1107628646">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This training will not solve the mass unemployment due to the COVID-19 shock nor cushion the impacts of the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-25/coronavirus-job-losses-unemployment-jobseeker-jobkeeper-cut/12699028">roll-back of Jobkeeper and Jobseeker</a>.</p>
<p>Second, while the government says its manufacturing strategy will create up to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/we-make-things-in-australia-pm-s-plan-to-boost-manufacturing-20200930-p560qy.html">80,000 direct jobs and about 300,000 more indirect jobs</a>, advanced apprenticeships will not be the main training pathway. These programs have relatively small intakes and are niche in nature. </p>
<p>The first Swinburne pilot enrolled only 20 students. Similar small intakes are likely at other universities in the extended program. </p>
<p>One aim of the pilots is <a href="https://www.knoxbiz.com.au/content/2086/swinburne-advanced-apprenticeships-pilot-eoi">to involve more local firms and small to medium-sized enterprises</a>. But how many will be willing (and able) to invest in these initiatives amid the <a href="https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/news-centre/impact-covid-19-australian-businesses-part-one">economic uncertainties of the pandemic</a>?</p>
<h2>More questions than answers</h2>
<p>The lack of detail in the apprenticeship announcement raises other questions.</p>
<p>First, it is unclear to what extent the government has collaborated or consulted with the states and territories and industry bodies. This is essential because the pilots involve both vocational and higher education aspects of learning. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-government-keeps-talking-about-revamping-vet-but-is-it-actually-doing-it-117743">Joyce Review and the Productivity Commission</a> both emphasised the need for collaboration. </p>
<p>Second, why are only universities being targeted? And why do the extended pilots include only two dual-sector universities (Swinburne and RMIT)? </p>
<p>Perhaps the aim was to align the training element with the research element for the federally funded <a href="https://www.business.gov.au/Grants-and-Programs/Industry-Testlabs-for-Australia">Industry 4.0 Testlabs</a> in six selected universities. However, not all these universities are part of the advanced apprenticeship pilots.</p>
<p>Despite the positive spin about inter-government collaborations as a result of COVID-19, this does not appear to be happening in skills and training. Industry groups have therefore <a href="https://www.aigroup.com.au/policy-and-research/businesspolicy/industry-transformation/higher-apprenticeships-national-march-2020/">taken the initiative</a> to work directly with the states and territories and <a href="https://www.southmetrotafe.wa.edu.au/testimonial/automation-careers-are-jobs-future">with vocational education providers</a>.</p>
<p>Further details may be revealed after the budget and the Productivity Commission’s final report on its <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/skills-workforce-agreement#report">review of the National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development</a>. </p>
<p>For pilot programs to be successful, especially in the context of high market uncertainty and rapid technological development, they need to be given room for <a href="https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/Creativity_paradox/4968554">experimentation</a>. The extended advanced apprenticeship pilots are welcome steps in this direction. They will help overcome the inaction of recent times on the changes needed in education, skills and training to ensure students are better able to meet the future needs of employers.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147113/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There is a growing mismatch between what education and training provide and the skills needed in workplaces being reshaped by the digital economy. Advanced apprenticeships can help close the gap.Pi-Shen Seet, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Edith Cowan UniversityJanice Jones, Associate Professor, College of Business, Government and Law, Flinders UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1048442018-11-01T19:08:39Z2018-11-01T19:08:39ZFive projects that are harnessing big data for good<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243382/original/file-20181101-78456-77seij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Often the value of data science lies in the work of joining the dots.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/global-communication-network-concept-1007765272?src=DOp-e91q53j0RY4m5Gt9cw-1-7">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Data science <a href="https://www.ibm.com/blogs/think/nl-en/2017/03/08/today-big-data-analytics-everywhere-everyone/">has boomed</a> over the past decade, following advances in mathematics, computing capability, and data storage. Australia’s <a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/funding-and-incentives/manufacturing/industry-40">Industry 4.0 taskforce</a> is busy exploring ways to improve the Australian economy with tools such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data analytics.</p>
<p>But while data science offers the potential to solve complex problems and drive innovation, it has often come under fire for <a href="https://theconversation.com/cambridge-analytica-used-our-secrets-for-profit-the-same-data-could-be-used-for-public-good-98745">unethical use of data</a> or <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/607955/inspecting-algorithms-for-bias/">unintended negative consequences</a> – particularly in commercial cases where people become data points in annual company reports. </p>
<p>We argue that the data science boom shouldn’t be limited to business insights and profit margins. When used ethically, big data can <a href="https://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/are-you-using-technology-for-social-good-help-us-grow-a-digital-social-innovation-community-across-europe/">help solve</a> some of society’s most difficult social and environmental problems.</p>
<p>Industry 4.0 should be underwritten by values that ensure these technologies are trained towards the <a href="https://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/are-you-using-technology-for-social-good-help-us-grow-a-digital-social-innovation-community-across-europe/">social good</a> (known as <a href="https://www.swinburne.edu.au/events/departments/research/2018/11/society-40-forum-shaping-the-digital-economy-for-good.php">Society 4.0</a>). That means using data ethically, involving citizens in the process, and building social values into the design. </p>
<p>Here are a five data science projects that are putting these principles into practice.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-future-of-data-science-looks-spectacular-44840">The future of data science looks spectacular</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>1. Finding humanitarian hot spots</h2>
<p>Social and environmental problems are rarely easy to solve. Take the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-23/helping-farmers-in-distress-does-not-help-them-be-the-best/10417972">hardship and distress</a> in rural areas due to the long-term struggle with drought. Australia’s size and the sheer number of people and communities involved make it difficult to pair those in need with support and resources. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.swinburne.edu.au/research-institutes/social-innovation/research/social-data-analytics/">Our team</a> joined forces with the <a href="https://www.redcross.org.au/">Australian Red Cross</a> to figure out where the humanitarian hot spots are in Victoria. We used social media data to map everyday humanitarian activity to specific locations and found that the hot spots of volunteering and charity activity are located in and around Melbourne CBD and the eastern suburbs. These kinds of insights can help local aid organisations channel volunteering activity in times of acute need. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242436/original/file-20181026-7041-hhfsgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242436/original/file-20181026-7041-hhfsgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242436/original/file-20181026-7041-hhfsgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242436/original/file-20181026-7041-hhfsgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242436/original/file-20181026-7041-hhfsgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242436/original/file-20181026-7041-hhfsgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242436/original/file-20181026-7041-hhfsgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242436/original/file-20181026-7041-hhfsgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Distribution of humanitarian actions across inner Melbourne and local government areas. Blue dots and red dots represent scraped Instagram posts around the hashtags #volunteer and #charity.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Improving fire safety in homes</h2>
<p>Accessing data – the <a href="https://hbr.org/2017/09/sgc-publish-the-week-of-911-new-research-only-3-of-companies-have-acceptable-quality-data?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social">right data</a>, in the right form – is a constant challenge for data science. We know that house fires are a serious threat, and that fire and smoke alarms save lives. Targeting houses without fire alarms can help mitigate that risk. But there is no single reliable source of information to draw on.</p>
<p>In the United States, <a href="https://labs.enigma.com/smoke-signals/">Enigma Labs</a> built open data tools to model and map risk at the level of individual neighbourhoods. To do this effectively, their model combines national census data with a geocoder tool (<a href="https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/tiger.html">TIGER</a>), as well as analytics based on local fire incident data, to provide a risk score.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242442/original/file-20181026-7053-rix5qg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242442/original/file-20181026-7053-rix5qg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242442/original/file-20181026-7053-rix5qg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=266&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242442/original/file-20181026-7053-rix5qg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=266&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242442/original/file-20181026-7053-rix5qg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=266&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242442/original/file-20181026-7053-rix5qg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242442/original/file-20181026-7053-rix5qg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242442/original/file-20181026-7053-rix5qg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fire fatality risk scores calculated at the level of Census block groups.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://labs.enigma.io/smoke-signals/">Enigma Labs</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Mapping police violence in the US</h2>
<p>Ordinary citizens can be involved in generating social data. There are many crowdsourced, open mapping projects, but often the value of data science lies in the work of joining the dots. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/">Mapping Police Violence</a> project in the US monitors, make sense of, and visualises police violence. It draws on three crowdsourced databases, but also fills in the gaps using a mix of social media, obituaries, criminal records databases, police reports and other sources of information. By drawing all this information together, the project quantifies the scale of the problem and makes it visible.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242443/original/file-20181026-7041-18lbezy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242443/original/file-20181026-7041-18lbezy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242443/original/file-20181026-7041-18lbezy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242443/original/file-20181026-7041-18lbezy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242443/original/file-20181026-7041-18lbezy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242443/original/file-20181026-7041-18lbezy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=656&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242443/original/file-20181026-7041-18lbezy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=656&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242443/original/file-20181026-7041-18lbezy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=656&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A visualisation of the frequency of police violence in the United States.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/">Mapping Police Violence</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/data-responsibility-a-new-social-good-for-the-information-age-67417">Data responsibility: a new social good for the information age</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>4. Optimising waste management</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/focus/internet-of-things/technical-primer.html">Internet of Things</a> is made up of a host of connected devices that collect data. When embedded in the ordinary objects all around us, and combined with cloud-based analysis and computing, these objects become smart – and can help solve problems or inefficiencies in the built environment.</p>
<p>If you live in Melbourne, you might have noticed <a href="http://bigbelly.com/">BigBelly</a> bins around the CBD. These smart bins have solar-powered trash compactors that regularly compress the garbage inside throughout the day. This eliminates waste overflow and reduces unnecessary carbon emissions, with an 80% reduction in waste collection.</p>
<p>Real-time data analysis and reporting is provided by a cloud-based data management portal, known as <a href="https://www.solarbins.com.au/features/clean-management-console/">CLEAN</a>. The tool identifies trends in waste overflow, which helps with bin placement and planning of collection services.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243420/original/file-20181101-173899-wlqh24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243420/original/file-20181101-173899-wlqh24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243420/original/file-20181101-173899-wlqh24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243420/original/file-20181101-173899-wlqh24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243420/original/file-20181101-173899-wlqh24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243420/original/file-20181101-173899-wlqh24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243420/original/file-20181101-173899-wlqh24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">BigBelly bins are being used in Melbourne’s CBD.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zolk/5618797389/in/photolist-9yvNQH-9yyPxE-ru8W7F-9yvNH4-rcG3Ap-vBmiDk-9yyQ35">Kevin Zolkiewicz/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>5. Identifying hotbeds of street harassment</h2>
<p>A group of four women – and many volunteer supporters – in Egypt developed <a href="https://harassmap.org/en">HarassMap</a> to engage with, and inform, the community in an effort to reduce sexual harassment. The platform they built uses anonymised, crowdsourced data to map harassment incidents that occur in the street in order to alert its users of potentially unsafe areas.</p>
<p>The challenge for the group was to provide a means for generating data for a problem that was itself widely dismissed. Mapping and informing are essential data science techniques for addressing social problems.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242444/original/file-20181026-7065-1bfw9g5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242444/original/file-20181026-7065-1bfw9g5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242444/original/file-20181026-7065-1bfw9g5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242444/original/file-20181026-7065-1bfw9g5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242444/original/file-20181026-7065-1bfw9g5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242444/original/file-20181026-7065-1bfw9g5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242444/original/file-20181026-7065-1bfw9g5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242444/original/file-20181026-7065-1bfw9g5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mapping of sexual harassment reported in Egypt.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://harassmap.org/en/">HarassMap</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cambridge-analyticas-closure-is-a-pyrrhic-victory-for-data-privacy-96034">Cambridge Analytica's closure is a pyrrhic victory for data privacy</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Building a better society</h2>
<p>Turning the efforts of data science to social good isn’t easy. Those with the expertise have to be attuned to the <a href="https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/the-hard-work-of-measuring-social-impact">social impact</a> of data analytics. Meanwhile, access to data, or <a href="https://ijpds.org/article/view/640">linking data across sources</a>, is a major challenge – particularly as data privacy becomes an increasing concern.</p>
<p>While the mathematics and algorithms that drive data science appear objective, human factors often combine to embed <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/01/26/580617998/cathy-oneil-do-algorithms-perpetuate-human-bias">biases</a>, which can result in inaccurate modelling. Digital and data literacy, along with a lack of transparency in methodology, combine to raise <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6371/42">mistrust in big data and analytics</a>.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, when put to work for social good, data science can provide new sources of evidence to assist government and funding bodies with policy, budgeting and future planning. This can ultimately result in a <a href="http://www.opendata500.com/au">better connected and more caring society</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104844/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Arezou Soltani Panah receives funding from the Australian Red Cross.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anthony McCosker receives funding from the Australian Red Cross. </span></em></p>Data science can map where street harassment is most prevalent, ensure public bins don’t overflow and identify neighbourhoods with poor fire safety standards in the home.Arezou Soltani Panah, Postdoc Research Fellow (Social Data Scientist), Swinburne University of TechnologyAnthony McCosker, Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/807792017-07-19T11:22:10Z2017-07-19T11:22:10ZDoes the next industrial revolution spell the end of manufacturing jobs?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178816/original/file-20170719-13567-w5xnhn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Robots have been taking our jobs <a href="http://robohub.org/the-evolution-of-assembly-lines-a-brief-history/">since the 1960s</a>. So why are <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/san-francisco-considers-robot-tax-jane-kim-2017-4">politicians</a> and <a href="https://medium.freecodecamp.org/bill-gates-and-elon-musk-just-warned-us-about-the-one-thing-politicians-are-too-scared-to-talk-8db9815fd398?gi=6f1122dab6a7">business leaders</a> only now becoming so worried about robots causing mass unemployment?</p>
<p>It comes down to the question of what a robot really is. While <a href="https://io9.gizmodo.com/5848333/most-ridiculous-human-jobs-that-robots-have-stolen-in-science-fiction">science fiction</a> has often portrayed robots as androids carrying out tasks in the much the same way as humans, the reality is that robots take much more specialised forms. Traditional 20th century robots were automated machines and robotic arms building cars in factories. Commercial 21st century robots are supermarket self-checkouts, <a href="http://www.limitstogrowth.org/articles/2016/06/14/amazons-successful-automation-boosts-employment-for-now/">automated guided warehouse vehicles</a>, and even <a href="https://www.geek.com/tech/flippy-the-burger-flipping-robot-gets-a-job-at-50-fast-food-joints-1691658/">burger-flipping machines</a> in fast-food restaurants.</p>
<p>Ultimately, humans haven’t become completely redundant because these robots may be very efficient but they’re also kind of dumb. They do not think, they just act, in very accurate but very limited ways. Humans are still needed to work around robots, doing the jobs the machines can’t and fixing them when they get stuck. But this is all set to change thanks to a new wave of smarter, better value machines that can adapt to multiple tasks. This change will be so significant that it will create a <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-fourth-industrial-revolution-is-powering-the-rise-of-smart-manufacturing-57753">new industrial revolution</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178810/original/file-20170719-13534-o3ge6q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178810/original/file-20170719-13534-o3ge6q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178810/original/file-20170719-13534-o3ge6q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178810/original/file-20170719-13534-o3ge6q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178810/original/file-20170719-13534-o3ge6q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178810/original/file-20170719-13534-o3ge6q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178810/original/file-20170719-13534-o3ge6q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The fourth industrial revolution.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.allaboutlean.com">Christoph Roser</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Industry 4.0</h2>
<p>This era of “Industry 4.0” is being driven by the same technological advances that enable the capabilities of the smartphones in our pockets. It is a mix of low-cost and high-power computers, high-speed communication and artificial intelligence. This will produce smarter robots with better sensing and communication abilities that can adapt to different tasks, and even coordinate their work to meet demand without the input of humans.</p>
<p>In the manufacturing industry, where robots have arguably made the most headway of any sector, this will mean a dramatic shift from <a href="https://www.gtai.de/GTAI/Content/EN/Invest/_SharedDocs/Downloads/GTAI/Brochures/Industries/industrie4.0-smart-manufacturing-for-the-future-en.pdf">centralised to decentralised collaborative production</a>. Traditional robots focused on single, fixed, high-speed operations and required a highly skilled human workforce to operate and maintain them. Industry 4.0 machines are flexible, collaborative and can operate more independently, which ultimately removes the need for a highly skilled workforce.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5bVkpYtW3uo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>For large-scale manufacturers, Industry 4.0 means their robots will be able to sense their environment and communicate in an <a href="https://www.ge.com/digital/blog/everything-you-need-know-about-industrial-internet-things">industrial network</a> that can be run and monitored remotely. Each machine will produce large amounts of data that can be collectively studied using what is known as “<a href="https://www.ge.com/digital/sites/default/files/Industrial_Big_Data_Platform.pdf">big data</a>” analysis. This will help identify ways to improve operating performance and production quality across the whole plant, for example by better predicting when maintenance is needed and automatically scheduling it.</p>
<p>For small-to-medium manufacturing businesses, Industry 4.0 will make it cheaper and easier to use robots. It will create machines that can be reconfigured to perform multiple jobs and adjusted to work on a more diverse product range and different production volumes. This sector is already beginning to benefit from reconfigurable robots designed to collaborate with human workers and analyse their own work to look for improvements, such as <a href="http://www.rethinkrobotics.com/baxter/">BAXTER</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeXcJV0hxPs">SR-TEX</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNUop6NtCpk">CareSelect</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178812/original/file-20170719-13558-9spf4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178812/original/file-20170719-13558-9spf4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178812/original/file-20170719-13558-9spf4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178812/original/file-20170719-13558-9spf4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178812/original/file-20170719-13558-9spf4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=575&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178812/original/file-20170719-13558-9spf4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=575&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178812/original/file-20170719-13558-9spf4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=575&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Helping hands.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.rethinkrobotics.com/press/">Rethink Robotics</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While these machines are getting smarter, they are still not as smart as us. Today’s industrial artificial intelligence operates at a <a href="https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2016/07/29/whats-difference-artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-deep-learning-ai/">narrow level</a>, which gives the appearance of human intelligence exhibited by machines, but designed by humans.</p>
<p>What’s coming next is known as “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2016/12/08/what-is-the-difference-between-deep-learning-machine-learning-and-ai/#13ad8bed26cf">deep learning</a>”. Similar to big data analysis, it involves processing large quantities of data in real time to make decisions about what is the best action to take. The difference is that the machine learns from the data so it can improve its decision making. A perfect example of deep learning was demonstrated by <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/23/googles-alphago-a-i-beats-worlds-number-one-in-ancient-game-of-go.html">Google’s AlphaGo</a> software, which taught itself to <a href="https://theconversation.com/googles-latest-go-victory-showsachines-are-no-longer-just-learning-theyre-teaching-78410">beat the world’s greatest Go players</a>.</p>
<p>The turning point in applying <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007850610001976">artificial intelligence to manufacturing</a> could come with the application of special microchips called graphical processing units (GPUs). These enable deep learning to be applied to extremely large data sets at extremely fast speeds. But there is still some way to go and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2017/06/07/how-ai-and-machine-learning-are-helping-drive-the-ge-digital-transformation/#3070065e1686">big industrial companies</a> are recruiting vast numbers of scientists to further develop the technology.</p>
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/3JELUeKjFIYnK" width="100%" height="370" frameborder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_lfxPI5ObM"></a></p>
<figure> <figcaption>Tesla robotic factory.</figcaption></figure><p></p>
<h2>Impact on industry</h2>
<p>As Industry 4.0 technology becomes smarter and more widely available, manufacturers of any size will be able to deploy cost-effective, multipurpose and collaborative machines as standard. This will lead to industrial growth and market competitiveness, with a greater understanding of production processes leading to new high-quality products and digital services.</p>
<p>Exactly what impact a smarter robotic workforce with the potential to operate on its own will have on the manufacturing industry, is still <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-robots-taking-our-jobs-56537">widely disputed</a>. Artificial intelligence as we know it from science fiction is still in its infancy. It could well be the 22nd century before robots really have the potential to make human labour obsolete by developing not just deep learning but true artificial understanding that mimics human thinking.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-be-alarmed-ai-wont-leave-half-the-world-unemployed-54958">Ideally</a>, Industry 4.0 will enable human workers to achieve more in their jobs by removing repetitive tasks and giving them better robotic tools. In theory, this would allow us humans to focus more on business development, creativity and science, which it would be <a href="https://theconversation.com/robots-dont-just-take-jobs-they-can-help-a-new-business-grow-58867">much harder for any robot to do</a>. Technology that has made humans redundant in the past has <a href="https://theconversation.com/could-a-robot-do-your-job-short-answer-yes-39569">forced us to adapt</a>, generally with more education.</p>
<p>But because Industry 4.0 robots will be able to operate largely on their own, we might see much greater human redundancy from manufacturing jobs without other sectors being able to create enough new work. Then we might see more political moves to protect human labour, such as <a href="https://qz.com/911968/bill-gates-the-robot-that-takes-your-job-should-pay-taxes/">taxing robots</a>. </p>
<p>Again, in an ideal scenario, humans may be able to focus on doing the things <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-artificial-intelligence-and-the-robotic-revolution-will-change-the-workplace-of-tomorrow-72607?sa=google&sq=robots+take+my+job&sr=9">that make us human</a>, perhaps fuelled by a <a href="https://theconversation.com/basic-income-after-automation-thats-not-how-capitalism-works-65023">basic income</a> generated from robotic work. Ultimately, it will be up to us to define whether the robotic workforce will work for us, with us, or against us.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80779/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeff Morgan receives funding from Enterprise Ireland, Ireland's European Structural and Investment Funds Programmes 2014-2020.</span></em></p>Smart machines are about to usher in the age of Industry 4.0.Jeff Morgan, Manufacturing Research Engineering, Trinity College DublinLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/577532016-06-20T14:52:56Z2016-06-20T14:52:56ZA fourth industrial revolution is powering the rise of smart manufacturing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122353/original/image-20160512-16414-b18rp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C58%2C1020%2C639&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Getting production in perfect sync.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/arthurjohnpicton/5364226117/in/photolist-9b24xc-4b4MK8-a5wudi-oFL6iv-cjP44s-8hDCW3-amx2HN-fuTnYR-9ndFAz-5fzjtN-5mvorQ-37S7K3-jSYGE4-6riQiL-31PiCM-4RwFMN-dBtFHP-6xh5me-q8KxY8-eBTj6s-91Vpww-8Ewqfi-jqet5F-ae6FDP-ib3KqH-np778f-Nq1gF-e3rfVa-e3wWg5-4a8JJs-6eRBPi-4t87iq-8scCoR-aiVMfx-dppQpQ-5VM2fT-4p54pV-7ToGbL-9Vw4F1-96CAGz-8bkCFC-dR5mu2-aEZQhH-eSFkbQ-24ELp-oEgAVR-6ihBn9-pa4AqZ-4SqJ2e-7AbBoJ">Arthur John Picton/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Technology is all around us, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-31042477">and sometimes in us</a>. We experience it daily in the way we stream music, in how we use an app to navigate a museum or a shopping centre, or to check our calorie burning and heart rate. This technology is changing our lifestyle and consumption. There is, of course, a lot more technology around us that we don’t see or touch at source. A wave of technological innovation has started to fundamentally alter how we make stuff. And it signals an era of huge change. </p>
<p>In the 1920s, Russian economist Nikolai Kondratiev linked waves of technological change occurring every 50 years or so with <a href="http://threecrises.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Long-Waves-in-Economic-Life.pdf">cycles in global GDP growth</a>. He suggested that radical inventions could profoundly revolutionise the techno-economic nature of economies. Indeed, the subsequent spawning of countless minor and incremental innovations could penetrate every aspect of the economy. </p>
<p>The idea of Kondratiev waves is that as old technologies exhaust their potential for new ideas to boost the economy, they slow down until a critical mass of new technologies comes to fruition all at once. That then kicks off a new technological wave that is able to trigger a spate of new applications in new processes, new products and new services. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122342/original/image-20160512-16431-1jv8wdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122342/original/image-20160512-16431-1jv8wdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122342/original/image-20160512-16431-1jv8wdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122342/original/image-20160512-16431-1jv8wdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122342/original/image-20160512-16431-1jv8wdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122342/original/image-20160512-16431-1jv8wdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122342/original/image-20160512-16431-1jv8wdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122342/original/image-20160512-16431-1jv8wdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Technology can bring unknown pleasure.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/robin_welsh/6868206973/in/photolist-bsVmDB-6krPjP-e5Zxe-bPkND2-c7ugKA-9qpX9-6UMk3-9qqhs-8Cxwj-fU66uL-9W7BC-8FGmbP-69d1w-pYXYJ-8CpDu-7Lt2R-8CSCc-opu1Hp-7LuYY-4RA814-5XutV-77pq5-5XtGg-8CxJe-jPKKjh-8bo7VH-4RA81X-PR4HU-5X7cw2-5Xu93-5Xp8D-5XtU4-5XoNU-6SVKmw-7zCey-4Wn878-nfjY1k-5XpCz-uqaT9b-ah6t8Z-8kzBRG-7DgSMr-5XuEk-5XqG4-8GdQmh-c5HvXE-f2PRZj-nv1zRB-5XqVv-6c3hnJ">Robin Welsh/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Radical tech</h2>
<p>You can see this in the <a href="https://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/guides/history-of-mobile-phones/">cellphone-to-smartphone shift</a>. This was made possible by digital technology which created a common platform across a number of functions: communications and internet, imaging, video, GPS, the digital camera and of course apps. This is radical innovation and from it, subsequent hardware and software variants have added marginal value.</p>
<p>And so, each wave fundamentally changes which resources are used and how they are used, as well as reshaping the organisation of production. New sectors are created while others become obsolete. This dynamism resets the economy and sparks growth again. </p>
<p>There is some consensus that four industrial revolutions can be associated with new technological waves. Innovations related to steam power, cotton, steel, and railways helped to give us the first industrial revolution of mass production and mechanisation. The second was triggered by the introduction of electricity, heavy and mechanical engineering and synthetic chemistry. The third was triggered by innovations in electronics and computers, petrochemicals and aerospace. </p>
<h2>Industry 4.0</h2>
<p>And what about the fourth? Right now, a host of new technologies are driving a wave of innovation that takes us into a new age.</p>
<p>Think of the internet, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/nanotechnology">nanotechnology</a>, bioscience, electronics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/photonics">photonics</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/graphene">advanced materials</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/renewable-energy">renewable energies</a>. Changes to our own techno-economic system started in the mid-1980s, but we had to wait the turn of the century to witness their impact on our production methods. </p>
<p>Smart manufacturing may enable the upgrading and anchoring of manufacturing activities even in advanced and high-cost economies such as the European Union. </p>
<p>We can identify some key characteristics. First, we see new technologies initiating new sectors or upgrading old ones. Core to this is the symbiosis between traditional manufacturing and services, through <a href="http://fieldservice.com/university/is-servitization-the-key-to-manufacturers-long-term-survival/">processes of “servitisation”</a>. Take Rolls-Royce, which of course produces engines, but also sells them within a “power-by-the-hour” maintenance package that restructures its offering as a service that delivers the ability to fly planes rather than simply selling a one-off product.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122343/original/image-20160512-16402-rmdoww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122343/original/image-20160512-16402-rmdoww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122343/original/image-20160512-16402-rmdoww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122343/original/image-20160512-16402-rmdoww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122343/original/image-20160512-16402-rmdoww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122343/original/image-20160512-16402-rmdoww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122343/original/image-20160512-16402-rmdoww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122343/original/image-20160512-16402-rmdoww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Power games.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/apolide/4819468960/in/photolist-8kT3dq-75muKk-7947tX-eXxhKq-PWiZ4-eXkY2n-7945FP-cMEakU-96LCPW-2SerD7-imHYcs-a6LvjF-e7WYwi-EFPnhj-CSkH28-ySrKbg-EqaDTE-omqyyE-oGsoDF-91isi1-cjdRFS-oY9kqg-2Ses6s-8odJFM-6MWT1A-eXkTUv-eXkYv8-8AX6Ak-aeT3SK-ckJMRs-h7oEHX-9CXfYP-eL6ZcA-8UvvnV-4pXFjd-yrRoFo-rFRgRB-5PffkB-7947fi-8qDsCA-oJ8RuQ-ACYqTD-8qDrXu-8UvunF-8UyzgG-iy2MSh-z2mscZ-8Uyy5S-d4TCkb-8qFbBz">Lorenzo Benetton/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Co-creating and producing</h2>
<p>There are also untapped market niches for personalised and customised products. These need to be produced in small batches or even as unique pieces. Such niche markets require customers to co-innovate or even co-produce with the manufacturer. Digital communications enable manufacturers to manage small scale businesses that have design and produce locally while connecting with global customers. </p>
<p><a href="https://localmotors.com/">Local Motors is a small US manufacturer</a> focused on low-volume, open-source designs which are assembled in microfactories. Products have included cars and motorbikes as well as electric bicycles, children’s ride-in toy cars, and remote-controlled toy cars and skateboards. It 3D prints some of the components used in making its products. Its Rally Fighters cars have involved “co-creation”, where the product is designed cooperatively with the customer. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/3d-printing">3D printing</a> enables innovators and inventors to become manufacturers and to connect directly with markets both locally and globally. One company, Shapeways, <a href="http://www.shapeways.com/?&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CKfh0L_h1MwCFdZAGwodi6MBuw">was spun out</a> of the Dutch electronics giant Phillips in 2007. Now based in New York it offers a 3D printing marketplace and service. You can design and upload 3D printable files, which are then made for you or a client from materials including acrylics, stainless steel, food-safe ceramics, and silver. Alternatively consumers and designers can work together in “co-creator platforms” to design unique things which Shapeways prints.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122349/original/image-20160512-16422-dz0kge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122349/original/image-20160512-16422-dz0kge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122349/original/image-20160512-16422-dz0kge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122349/original/image-20160512-16422-dz0kge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122349/original/image-20160512-16422-dz0kge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122349/original/image-20160512-16422-dz0kge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122349/original/image-20160512-16422-dz0kge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122349/original/image-20160512-16422-dz0kge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A little dear? Shapeways bronze printed objects.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/51579195@N02/12092644054/in/photolist-jqzXM1-dQo5Yr-gpe6FR-jqzg9X-dQtEGs-gM24Rw-fTZyFb-jqxJDT-jqzgsx-jqB1Zy-jqzeXZ-vPUBjy-fU1tS4-dqYW9P-dvZyvK-jqzdei-dPLY4U-jqze1Z-jqB12b-jqB32o-cWi46Q-jqzDCf-dQo4VX-jqB3Wj-9AH8Gq-eALw6A-h6R6qX-9VMjDU-9AH8EU-bpvPZ1-jqy4xK-jqzEoU-azaPbK-jqzgk8-hRSo2X-jqAXQ7-jqxG28-jqzDaS-jqzewi-jqzAUE-jqB1Po-9q6xgp-d7nyMs-d6q2dy-d7nyFY-9q6kzP-jqzE19-8NaGnp-cWi3b9-jqB34s">Shapeways/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Products like this tend to have a high content of technology, innovation, customised design and servicing. Moreover, their consumers tend not to be as price sensitive, so technology, knowledge and innovation are the key elements which shape the competitiveness contest.</p>
<h2>Sustainability</h2>
<p>Another prediction for smart manufacturing is that it will redesign product supply chains by integrating the local and the global more strategically. Some hands-on innovators in the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brit-morin/what-is-the-maker-movemen_b_3201977.html">so-called “makers movement”</a> are making the most of a trend towards linking innovating and making. They choose suppliers nearer to home, but connect with demand both close and far from home. </p>
<p>It promises a more efficient form of production, which we can also see in the increased use of more sustainable processes, where resources are re-manufactured and components re-used, or where bio, waste or natural products are used as feedstocks. There are <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-the-circular-economy-23298">echoes here of the circular economy</a>, where waste is fed back into the production process, where alternative energy changes business models, or <a href="http://localnexus.org/">food production and consumption</a> is “relocalised”. And it is this kind of efficiency at the heart of smart manufacturing that presents a real opportunity for advanced economies to pursue more distributed and sustainable socio-economic growth.</p>
<p><em>This has been co-published with the World Economic Forum. <a href="https://www.weforum.org/focus/the-fourth-industrial-revolution">Read more here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57753/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa De Propris receives funding from H2020 RISE.</span></em></p>A wave of technological innovation has started to fundamentally alter how we make stuff. It signals an era of huge change.Lisa De Propris, Professor of Regional Economic Development, University of BirminghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.