The author of the text is compelled to relate the Fourth Industrial Revolution to Isaac Asimov’s fictional universe.

When reflecting on the Fourth Industrial Revolution I cannot help but think I’m in one of Isaac Asimov’s novels. In his Foundation series he starts off with a mathematician who develops a branch of mathematics that can predict the future, but only on a large scale. He foresees the imminent fall of the Galactic Empire, which will result in untold suffering and human misery, which could be averted. When talking about the Fourth Industrial Revolution as personified through artificial intelligence, we generally are referring to machine learning, deep learning, robotics, the internet of things. It is the symbiotic relationship between man and machine. First, technology and the advancement of smart technologies are purported to equate to modernity. If the population of a certain country is not using smart technologies then it is left behind. Smartphones, smart freezers, smart cars and so much more. Then there are the labour implications of the revolution. It’s all too easy to say we must prepare for the eventuality of job losses and retrain ourselves to be employable in the digital age. But this is easier said than done. A closer examination of the issue suggests that the only real jobs protected from complete overhaul by machines are creative ones — not only the arts, but also high-level jobs such as CEOs and managers in the financial and corporate worlds. Meaning, to state the obvious, the current elite will have job security while blue-collar workers will be threatened by huge job losses due to machines. Critical questions that must be answered are that one undisputed need for this revolution is a constant supply of electricity, without which we cannot have satellite communication to keep smart devices working, fibre connectivity and so on. Many countries will then be left out of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.