The positive and negative implications of the 4th industrial revolution and its impact on its nature and its inherent ethical implications.
In this blog, I will critically discuss the positive and negative implications of the 4th industrial revolution and its impact on its nature and its inherent ethical implications.
Firstly, I will talk about the meaning of the 4th industrial revolution. The 4th Industrial Revolution is a method to describe the fuzzy boundaries between the digital, biological and physical fields. It combines advanced technologies in AI, 3D printing, robotics, quantum computing, the Internet of Things, the engineering of gene with other fields. They are the collective power behind many consumer goods and services that are rapidly becoming an integral part of modern life. It is changing the place we live in and work as well as the way we communicate with others (Devon Mchinnis, 2018).
Although the 4th industrial revolution had positive forces to change the world, if we do not consider how these technologies are changing us, they may have negative effects. Artificial Intelligence is unleashing a whole new level of productivity and enriching our lives in many ways. Like the industrial revolution of the past, it could become a disruptive force, putting people out of work and raising questions about the relationship between man and machine. We value the ability to control what we already know, yet we live in a world where tracing individual’s information is a key to provide smarter, personalized services. Public trust in business, media, government and even technology is declining. This is a crisis that is dividing and destabilizing societies around the world (Marcel Becker, 2019).
The second one is the impact on the inherent ethical implications. There are some factors such as liability, security and wealth inequality will affect the ethical implications. Study shows that consumers are deeply concerned about the potential harm of technology in areas such as privacy, false information, surveillance, unemployment, environmental destruction and rising inequality. The moral function of technology related to the ethics and values of technological development is to seek surveillance. The task of surveillance is to determine the right direction. Unlike academic observation, this more nuanced view has practical importance for strategic needs and successful technical governance. As Avi Marciano (2018) points out that Biometric monitoring should be a new form of control, not just another means of inspection. He describes the complexity, objectivity and agent of biometrics technology to show their social power, in order to attract people’s attention to the importance of biometric surveillance.
As a teacher in a higher education institution I think that’s pretty important to use new technologies into teaching, research and service. First of all, higher education must change education pattern by using new technologies such as wearable devices, MOOCS and cultivate learners’ innovative talent skills. The higher education system should consider how to embrace, rather than oppose, these new technologies connecting new teaching models and changing the teaching environment for the benefit of both students and scholars. Besides, higher education institution should do some more research relying on open innovation and evolutionary & revolutionary innovations. Lastly, higher education should set up corresponding service platform such as Platform University and Education Service and offer International Related Programmes. Only by improving the service quality of higher education can significant changes be brought to the society(Thomas Philbeck&Nicholas Davis& Anne Marie Engtoft Larsen, 2018).
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References:
- Andreas Hirschi. 2017. The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Issues and Implications for Career Research and Practice. The Career Development Quarterly.
- Avi Marciano.2018.Reframing biometric surveillance: from a means of inspection to a form of control. Ethics and Information Technology.
- Devon Mchinnis. 2018. What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution. https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2018/12/what-is-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-4IR.html.
- Klaus Schwab.2016. The Fourth Industrial Revolution: what it means, how to respond. Foreign Affairs.
- Marcel Becker. 2019. Privacy in the digital age: comparing and contrasting individual versus social approaches towards privacy. Ethics and Information Technology.
- Tony Prophet. 2019. Ethics and technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. World Economic Forum.
- Thomas Philbeck, Nicholas Davis, Anne Marie Engtoft Larsen. 2018. Values, Ethics and Innovation: Rethinking Technological Development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. World Economic Forum.
- Web page. 2016. The Future of Jobs Employment, Skills and Workforce Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, World Economic Forum.
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