The Fourth Industrial Revolution Will Not Bring the Future We Want

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is a vision of a future in which emerging technologies change 'the very essence of our human experience' [1]. It was initially introduced in a book of the same name authored by the World Economic Forum's (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab and launched at the WEF's 2016 Davos conference. The idea has since been used to promote a wide range of emerging technologies and has informed discussion in many forums, including within IEEE publications.