What will happen to the economy, society, cities and civic Llfe?The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the New Lifestyle
Not since the digital revolution ushered in by personal computers and the internet has the world seen the type of transformative change that such new technologies as artificial intelligence, big data and the Internet of Things promise. These and other technologies together make up the so-called fourth industrial revolution, which is bringing about the convergence of the digital and physical worlds – and having broad implications for our daily lives.
Organizers of the Innovative City Forum 2017, held Oct. 12 to 14 at the Roppongi Academyhills in Tokyo, brought together opinion leaders from around world to participate in a dialogue on the future of modern cities and the widespread lifestyle changes. The event featured a brainstorming session that included a representative from Fujitsu, to talk about how urban and social infrastructures would be redefined with the leading-edge technologies in the Fourth Industry Revolution.
Experts moderated four breakout sessions, each covering a different theme to assess the pace of change the fourth industrial revolution will create and what it means for how we will live and work in the cities of the future. The themes were: "urban infrastructure", "organizations and work style", "sharing economy" and "AI and art".
Redefining Urban Infrastructure / Social Infrastructure
Changes being brought by the new technologies are penetrating into every industry sector, including manufacturing, financial, medical, construction, retail and education, explained Jimbo. One estimate forecasts GDP growth of JPY 30 trillion (USD 265 billion) in Japan alone.
"Today, we are witnessing a convergence of the digital and physical worlds at an astonishing scale," he said. "We can say it is a new industrial revolution after those that we first saw in the 18th century, then at the beginning of the 20th century and lately in the 1980s."
In the context of this fourth industrial revolution, the advancements are a result of the ever-closer interconnection of the various arenas in our daily lives, including the home and corporate, government environments, Jimbo said. These connections are creating new value. But there will be challenges, he warned.
One of the most important considerations may be how to secure the information infrastructure. The personal data of citizens is valuable for delivering such services as healthcare and education. But in order to make it available for the common good, there has to be a secure, yet open and transparent system of information sharing.
Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is planning to promote this concept by implementing ICT (information and communication technology) across the country by 2020. The plan will face a challenge in connecting traditional infrastructures to new ones.
"We can say it is not the only challenge," said Jimbo, adding: There are others, including the digital divide between the senior population and younger generations, the late start in ridding cash from the economy, underdevelopment of the national data center and the small pool of innovation leaders, to name a few.
Drastic Change in Enterprises, Work Styles, and the Livelihood of Indivisual
It's been a decade since the iPhone popularized the smartphone and helped to bring about far-reaching changes in the lifestyles of people around the world, said Yanagawa. And he recognizes a dramatic change in our "work style," as well.
"The most notable aspect of this change, as I see it, is mobility in work," he said. "Today, we can do our jobs outside of the office. It is not surprising at all to see people work at a café with their laptop PCs on a table."
