The Fourth Industrial Revolution represents a fundamental change in the way we live, work and relate to one another. It is a new chapter in human development, enabled by extraordinary technology advances commensurate with those of the first, second and third industrial revolutions. These advances are merging the physical, digital and biological worlds in ways that create both huge promise and potential peril. The speed, breadth and depth of this revolution is forcing us to rethink how countries develop, how organisations create value and even what it means to be human. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is about more than just technology-driven change; it is an opportunity to help everyone, including leaders, policy-makers and people from all income groups and nations, to harness converging technologies in order to create an inclusive, human-centred future. The real opportunity is to look beyond technology, and find ways to give the greatest number of people the ability to positively impact their families, organisations and communities.
Why is new technology designed primarily for men?
Researchers looked at how virtual assistants responded to various health crises, and found women’s needs were an afterthought.
How did evolution produce the T Rex? This new discovery provides a clue
A new species of Tyrannosaur, the group of dinosaurs that the iconic T Rex belongs too, has been discovered in Uzbekistan.
Would you trust a robot to save your life?
New research shows some very surprising results about our trust in robots.
How to make plastic from plants
Scientists have discovered how to make plastic from CO2 and plants.
The barriers to polio eradication are no longer medical, they're geopolitical
How immunization workers are working to overcome political challenges in the fight against the virus.
Is Google DeepMind's Go win a turning point for AI research?
Google's DeepMind's AI has won the fifth and final game of Go against human world champion Lee Sedol.
How education technology can help foster social and emotional skills
Social and emotional skills can strengthen the labour force, boost academic performance, and produce long-term benefits such as higher rates of employment.
This chart shows the circle of life with every known species on Earth
This diagram illustrates all known animal species, and their evolutionary relationship to one another.
If there's life on Mars, what happens next?
Manish Patel, Senior Lecturer in Planetary Sciences at The Open University, explains what would happen if we found microbial life on Mars.
The tech revolution taking place in eastern Europe
There is little doubt that progressive tech products make our lives better. Crowd-funding platforms help raise money for numerous social initiatives (even for presidential campaigns in th...
How a bionic fingertip allows an amputee to feel textures
A bionic fingertip has allowed an amputee to feel textures via electrodes implanted into nerves in his upper arm.
Could the next frontier of biometric security be your ears?
Ear scanning biometrics solves a key authentication problem – it lets someone verify who you are continuously, instead of at a specific moment.