The 4IR Surviving the Era of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence

You cannot wait until a house burns down to buy fire insurance on it. We cannot wait until there are massive dislocations in our society to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.” Robert J. Sheller, 2013 Nobel Laureate in Economics The Era of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics is here – and it is shaking the world to its core. Companies are restructuring in line with the latest technologies and much traditional employment is falling away. People are confused because they are frightened for their livelihoods going forward. But the truth is that the Fourth Industrial Revolution – 4IR – offers many opportunities for those willing to understand the latest technological trends and embrace the changes. The author is a winner of the Johannesburg Geojozi Developers Challenge and a Computer Science and Mathematics graduate of North West University and gives direction on how people can position and prepare themselves for 4IR. Who will be most affected? how can we embrace this change and thrive? What skills do we need to win? South African stories like those of DJSbu and Theo Baloyi are used to illustrate the great potential that 4IR can bring. If they can adapt and succeed, then what’s stopping you?