Public IR4.0 Resources

As a courtesy, Conexxus has pulled together relevant articles about IR4.0. In all cases, the copyright and ownership of the content remains with the original author(s) and the viewpoints expressed are solely those of the author(s).

Title Topic
Special Report – The Digital Economy

This special report from Raconteur includes a number of articles relating to IR4. They include: smart cities, impact of AI, increased productivity utilizing new technologies, new business opportunities, and the impact of a digital economy on businesses.

Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4)
The Cure for AI Fever

Many companies are considering AI because of competitive concerns. However, the author points out that Artificial Intelligence should be treated as a process not as a tool, and goes on to explore the process.

AI
Workplace Success through Robotic Process Automation

The latest office recruit taking over routine tasks is not a sci-fi robot with menacing limbs, instead it’s a computer software program capable of machine-learning.

Machine Learning
A Non-Technical Introduction to Machine Learning

Machine learning is a field that threatens to both augment and undermine exactly what it mean to be human and it’s becoming increasingly important to understand it. This article is for smart, ambitious people who want to know more about machine learning but who don’t care about the esoteric statistical and computational details underlying the fields. You don’t need to know any math, statistics, or computer science to read and understand it.

Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence, The Next Digital Frontier?

Artificial intelligence is poised to unleash the next wave of digital disruption, and companies should prepare for it now. We already see real-life benefits for a few early adopting firms, making it more urgent than ever for others to accelerate their digital transformations. Our findings focus on five AI technology systems: robotics and autonomous vehicles, computer vision, language, virtual agents, and machine learning, which includes deep learning and underpins many recent advances in the other AI technologies.

AI
Notes from the AI Frontier Insights from Hundreds of Use Cases

For this discussion paper, the McKinsey Global Institute maps traditional analytics and newer “deep learning” techniques and the problems they can solve to more than 400 specific use cases in companies and organizations. They assess both the practical applications and the economic potential of advanced AI techniques across industries and business functions.

AI
Increasing Profitability for Brick and Mortar Retailers

In the digital data-driven economy, retailers face unprecedented challenges. Online shopping is defining consumer expectations that brick-and-mortar stores “have what they want, when they want it”. Retailers have access to more data than ever before, but the sheer volume of data can make actionable insight difficult to discern.

IoT
Special Report – Industry 4.0

This special report from Raconteur includes a number of articles relating to IR4. They include: automated manufacturing, potential cybersecurity concerns related to new technology, requirements for workforce skills and training.

Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4)
Industry 4.0: Building the Digital Enterprise

This paper from PwC shares research from over 2000 participants in 26 countries on the progress towards transforming into a digital enterprise. The results are distilled into 8 key findings which are explored in detail. In addition, six steps to help companies move from initial strategy all the way to taking a leading role in tomorrow’s digital ecosystems are detailed.

Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4)
Optimism and Anxiety: Views on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence

IR4 will affect every American, regardless of age, race, education or profession and the adoption of artificial intelligence and robotics on a vast scale will transform virtually all industries and create large-scale upheaval. As with any revolutionary change, there will be substantial anxiety among Americans as old industries and careers are swept away and new opportunities emerge. This paper discusses the results of a Gallup and Northeastern University survey of public opinion data related to AI.

AI
2018 Tech Trends Report

Last year proved to be a restless nail-biter, and 2018 promises more of the same. Strap in, because you’re likely to witness a number of events that don’t appear to follow the familiar political, technological or business narratives. Tantalizing advancements in emerging technologies—artificial intelligence, biotech, autonomous robots, green energy and space travel—will begin to enter the mainstream, which could eventually mean significant economic growth and healthier living. Yet a closer look reveals some alarming truths. The development of AI is our modern version of an arms race, and in 2018, China will lay the groundwork to become the world’s unchallenged AI hegemon. If data is the new oil, China’s massive, 730m online population puts it in control of our largest, and possibly most important natural resource going forward—human data—and it doesn’t have the privacy and security restrictions that might hinder progress in other nations.

Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4)
How can boards tackle the Essential Eight and other emerging technologies?

Analyzing emerging technologies can be difficult, but eight have stood out: artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, drones, blockchain, IoT, 3D printing, and robotics. Companies further must understand the emerging technology priorities, increase the board’s digital IQ, and build technology into the board’s strategic oversight process in order to best handle emerging technologies.

Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4)
Cognitive technologies: The real opportunities for business

The application of cognitive technologies can be sorted into three categories: product, process, or insight. To get the most out of cognitive technologies, businesses need to examine their business processes, their products, and their markets to determine where cognitive technologies would be viable, valuable, or vital.

AI
Inside the Internet of Things (IoT)

The IoT ecosystem is fragmented and disorganized, but will come together as it plays an important role for both consumers and businesses. An understanding of IoT and its complexities will lead to key knowledge of the information value loop.

IoT
Closing the digital divide: IoT in retail's transformative potential

IoT gives businesses the ability to create, collect, and utilize data. However, the information alone is not enough, the true benefit comes from applying the data to improve future business practice.

IoT
Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning in Retail

IoT has the power to substantially increase the amount of data retailers can capture. AI and the analysis of data collected will allow retailers the ability to better draw conclusions, understand processes, and increase supply chain efficiency.

Data Analytics
Customer analytics applications add artificial intelligence to reduce market 'friction'

AI will revolutionize the customer experience. AI has the ability to provide a seamless experience with its predictive capabilities and understanding of consumer behavior.

Data Analytics
Artificial intelligence: Touchpoints with consumers

AI is becoming a more accepted expectation. With a survey showing 32% of respondents plan to own AI devices in the home and almost 40% of consumers responding would consider a drone as a delivery method, how consumers shop as well as how retailer deliver their goods will change as AI evolves.

AI
2018 AI predictions: 8 insights to shape business strategy

While there are many predictions around the future of AI, there is still uncertainty of where what the next five to ten years will bring in machine learning. It is expected however, that AI can benefit both employees and employers while helping businesses analyze data to answer important business questions.

AI
Artificial intelligence: The time to act is now

AI will disrupt industries around the globe. To benefit from AI, companies should take note of six points: value capture will initially be limited to the consumer sector, focus on microverticals in promising industries, end-to-end solutions are a must in AI, most value will come from solutions and hardware, specific hardware architectures will be critical differentiators for cloud and edge computing, and companies need to act now.

AI
Artificial or Augmented Intelligence: Talks with Intel's Chief Data Scientist, Bob Rogers

What once began as analytic systems with basic question-answer functions has evolved into today’s AI capabilities of predicting and recognizing consumer behavior based on data patterns. Businesses can take advantage of the benefits machine learning has to offer through AI incorporation in the business model.

AI
The Internet of Things: Revolutionizing the Retail Industry

IoT is expected to be disruptive to the retail industry. Retailers finding ways to adopt IoT can improve the customer experience, optimize supply chain operations, and create new channels and revenue streams.

IoT
Redefine Your Company Based on the Company You Keep: Intelligent Enterprise Unleashed

Consumers are expecting the lines between customers, employees, and companies to blur. Deeper relationships between business and customer can be established through the use of increased and embedded technology interactions.

Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4)
Painting the Digital Future of Retail and Consumer Goods Companies

Digitalization is leading the retail and consumer goods industries to change more in the next ten years than they have over the last 40, forcing leaders to stay ahead by using digital to connect with consumers, adopting key technologies, testing their business model, and adjusting their mindset. Consumers will be expecting effortless, personalized retail experiences that utilize all that technology has to offer.

Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4)
Reworking the Revolution

There are three stages to the application of AI to improve efficiency and consumer outcome: education, prototyping and experimental initiatives, and large-scale application. To get the most out of AI, business leaders must understand how their organization will be reconfigured by machine intelligence as well as develop a knowledge of how to work with and the disruptive potential of machine intelligence.

AI