Davos: Historians dream of fourth industrial revolutions

Davos Day One. The historians are breaking down the significance of the fourth industrial revolution.

They’re talking about AI, robotics, IoT, self driving cars, 3D printing, quantum computing and whether such things really will equate to a new industrial era — the new ‘new economy’ thesis if you will.

The fourth industrial revolution, Harvard’s Niall Ferguson notes, is distinctive because of its exponential rather than linear pace, not only changing what and how we do things but also potentially who we are.

Ian Goldin, professor of globalisation and development at the Oxford Martin School, University draws parallels with the renaissance and the enlightenment: it’s a period of momentous change but this time more than just another industrial revolution. He claims we will reinterpret our approach to the world. A nervous system of information will define our time.

“It will be the most rapid escape from poverty”, says Goldin. ...