The Fourth Industrial Revolution Is About Empowering People, Not The Rise Of The Machines

Photo: EdTechReview


BY: Brad Keywell
Co-founder and CEO, Uptake

The world is changing. There’s no way around this fact.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is now. And, whether you know it or not, it will affect you.

Billions of people and countless machines are connected to each other. Through groundbreaking technology, unprecedented processing power and speed, and massive storage capacity, data is being collected and harnessed like never before.

Automation, machine learning, mobile computing and artificial intelligence — these are no longer futuristic concepts, they are our reality.

To many people, these changes are scary.

Previous industrial revolutions have shown us that if companies and industries don’t adapt with new technology, they struggle. Worse, they fail.

Mindset shift

But I strongly believe that these innovations will make industry – and the world – stronger and better.

The change brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution is inevitable, not optional.

And the possible rewards are staggering: heightened standards of living; enhanced safety and security; and greatly increased human capacity.

For people, there must be a shift in mindset.

As difficult as it may be, the future of work looks very different from the past. I believe people with grit, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit will embrace this future, rather than cling to the status quo.

People can be better at their jobs with the technology of today—and the technology that is yet to come—rather than fearing that their human skills will be devalued.

Human and machine

I’m reminded of chess.

We have all heard the stories about computers beating even the greatest grandmasters. But the story is more nuanced; humans and computers play differently and each has strengths and weaknesses.

Computers prefer to retreat, but they can store massive amounts of data and are unbiased in their decision-making.

Humans can be more stubborn, but also can read their opponent’s weaknesses, evaluate complex patterns, and make creative and strategic decisions to win.

Even the creators of artificial chess-playing machines acknowledge that the best chess player is actually a team of both human and machine.

The world will always need human brilliance, human ingenuity and human skills.

Software and technology have the potential to empower people to a far greater degree than in the past—unlocking the latent creativity, perception and imagination of human beings at every level of every organization.

Power of data, power of people

This shift will enable workers on the front line, on the road and in the field to make smarter decisions, solve tougher problems and do their jobs better.

This is our mission at Uptake—to combine the power of data and the power of people, across global industries.

Here’s what this looks like:

Railroad locomotives are powered by massive, highly complex electrical engines that cost millions of dollars.

When one breaks down, the railroad loses thousands more for every hour it’s out of service (not to mention, there are a lot of angry travellers or cargo customers to deal with).

After the locomotive is towed in for repairs, technicians normally start by running diagnostic tests. These can take hours, and often require technicians to stand next to roaring engines jotting down numbers based on the diagnostic readings.

That’s the old way – or, at least, it should be.

      
New solutions

When locomotives operated by our customers roll into the shop for routine services, all diagnostics have already been run.

Our software has forecast when, why and how the machine is likely to break down using predictive analytics — algorithms that analyze massive amounts of data generated by the 250 sensors on each locomotive.

Our systems have examined that data within the context of similar machines, subject- matter experts, industry norms and even weather. If there’s a problem, we detect it, and direct the locomotive to a repair facility.

A mechanic can then simply pick up an iPad, and learn in a few minutes exactly what is about to break down, as well as the machine’s history and the conditions it’s been operating under.

Virtuous loop

That leaves the mechanics to do what they do best: fix it, using their experience, judgement and skill. And the mechanics decisions and actions become data that feeds back into the software, improving the analytics and predictions for the next problem.

So, technology didn’t replace mechanics; it empowered them to do their job.

In the same way that chess masters and computers work best together, the mechanic used human skills that a machine can’t replicate: ingenuity, creativity and experience. And the technology detected a problem that was unknown and unseen to human eyes.

In short, when the mechanic and the technology work together, the work gets done faster, with fewer errors and better results.

Multiply this across all industries: aviation, energy, transportation, smart cities, manufacturing, natural resources, and construction.

The productivity we unleash could be reminiscent of what the world saw at the advent of the first industrial revolution. But the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution will run much broader, and deeper, than the first.

We’ll have the knowledge, the talent and the tools to solve some of the world’s biggest problems: hunger, climate change, disease.

Machines will supply us with the insight and the perspective we need to reach those solutions. But they won’t supply the judgement or the ingenuity. People will.

Wallet2u, Affin Bank Tingkatkan Pengalaman Perbankan IoT

FOTO SUMBER: ReadWrite


BISNES | Wallet2U Ezypay Sdn Bhd pada 27 FEBRUARI mengumumkan kerjasamanya dengan Affin Bank Bhd untuk meningkatkan pengalaman perbankan Internet of Things (IoT).

Pengerusi Wallet2U, Tan Sri Che Md Noor Mat Arshad, berkata kerjasama itu untuk memanfaatkan platform teknologi kewangan dan momentum pembangunan IoT yang pesat.

“Kedua-dua pihak akan menumpukan kepada meningkatkan penggunaan aplikasi IoT dalam urus niaga oleh generasi muda dengan memberi tumpuan kepada aplikasinya di sekolah, universiti dan institusi pengajian lain,” katanya pada majlis pemeteraian Memorandum Persefahaman (MoU) mengenai kerjasama itu.

Wallet2U diwakili oleh Che Md Noor dan Affin Bank oleh Ketua Pegawai Operasi Zulkainan Kassim.

Che Md Noor berkata syarikat menyasarkan untuk memperluaskan perkhidmatannya di Kedah dan Perak dalam masa terdekat.

“Perkhidmatan kami terdapat di Pulau Pinang dan Perlis, dan kini kami menyasarkan untuk memperluaskan ke negeri lain termasuk Kedah dan Perak,” katanya.

Aplikasi mudah alih itu dibangunkan untuk memberikan pengguna ekosistem pembayaran yang selamat, mudah dan lancar dengan menggunakan kod QR (maklum balas pantas), pembayaran pintar AI, pembayaran bil dan runcit serta pemindahan dana setara.

Aplikasi itu turut menyediakan platform ‘e-ride hailing’, pesanan e-makanan, mesej dan berbual dalam talian.

SUMBER: BERNAMA

Pakistani, Indian Airports Closed Amid Tensions

PHOTO: DNA India


KARACHI, Pakistan/CHANDIGARH, India: Flight operations from several Pakistani and Indian airports were shut down for an indefinite period hours after claims of shooting down of each other’s fighter jets on Wednesday, media and officials said.

Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority said that all international and domestic flights from the country’s major airports -- including Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Sialkot airports -- had been suspended for an indefinite period.

The Indian government, for its part, has shut down four airports close to the India-Pakistan borders, local media and officials said.

"Srinagar, Jammu and Leh airports were among five airports closed on Wednesday for civilian air traffic shortly after an IAF [Indian Air Force] jet crashed in Kashmir’s Budgam district," the Press Trust of India, a news agency reported.

Those airports which were closed include Srinagar, Jammu, Leh (in Jammu & Kashmir) and Amritsar in Indian State of Punjab.

Local media also reported that Chandigarh airport has also been shut.

The officials, however, said that flight operations continued from Chandigarh airport. "The flight operations are on so far, " said Deepesh Joshi, the airport’s public relations officer, told Anadolu Agency.

"While the official did not specify the nature of the emergency, it is believed the step was taken in view of an IAF jet crashing in Budgam district this morning," the PTI report said.

Pakistan army on Wednesday claimed that the country’s air force has shot down two Indian fighter jets that crossed into Pakistani territory.

Meanwhile, Indian Today, a broadcaster, claimed in a report that Indian forces have shot down a Pakistani F-16 that “violated Indian airspace”.

The tension between the two nuclear neighbors has raised after Indian jets intruded into Pakistan's airspace on early Tuesday.

India had claimed that “several terrorists” were killed in preemptive action on the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp inside Pakistan.

The Pakistani civil and military officials have rejected the claim.

SOURCE: ANADOLU NEWS AGENCY

Media Prima Raih Untung RM59 Juta


FOTO SUMBER: The Edge Markets

BISNES | Media Prima Bhd, kumpulan media bersepadu terbesar di Malaysia, mencatatkan keuntungan selepas cukai RM59 juta bagi tahun kewangan berakhir 31 Disember 2018, berbanding kerugian RM668.7 juta pada tahun sebelumnya.

Keuntungan itu dicapai menerusi kejayaan kepelbagaian perolehan selain strategi meringankan aset selari dengan misi transformasi kumpulan.

Prestasi memberangsangkan itu disumbangkan oleh keuntungan sekali menerusi penyelesaian perjanjian jualan dan pajak semula berjumlah RM133.1 juta.

Ketika industri media terus berdepan dengan cabaran akibat lanskap ekonomi semasa, pelaburan digital dan perdagangan Media Prima merekodkan pertumbuhan positif dalam 2018.

Perolehan digital dan perdagangan pada tahun kewangan meningkat 76 peratus kepada RM301 juta dan ini mengimbangi penurunan perolehan daripada segmen perniagaan tradisional seperti dicatatkan oleh prestasi kewangan Media Prima yang lebih baik pada tahun itu.

Perolehan kumpulan menyusut satu peratus pada 2018, berbanding penurunan tujuh peratus pada 2017.

Pencapaian dan perolehan pengiklanan digital terus berkembang di seluruh platform Media Prima.

Perolehan digital meningkat kepada RM87.9 juta dalam tahun kewangan 2018 berbanding RM41.5 juta bagi tempoh

sebelumnya, menekankan kejayaan dalam strategi digital yang meliputi kerjasama pintar dan pengambilalihan strategik.

Sorotan utama kepada transformasi Media Prima pada 2018 adalah segmen beli belah di rumah.

Rangkaian Televisyen Media Prima (RTMP) CJ Wow Shop menjana jualan jualan keseluruhan RM213.1 juta pada 2018, meningkat 65 peratus daripada RM129.5 juta sebelumnya.

Kerjasama Media Prima dengan YouTube menghasilkan keputusan yang signifikan, apabila saluran kumpulan menyaksikan peningkatan dalam jumlah tontonan kepada 1.1 bilion pada tahun kewangan 2018.

Dalam penerbitan digital pula, REV Asia Holdings (REV Asia) mengambil alih 25 peratus pemilikan dalam Monster Scape Sdn Bhd, pemilik dan penerbit portal berita sosial berbahasa Cina, TanTanNews, sekali gus mengukuhkan kedudukan dominan dalam komuniti milenial berbahasa Cina di negara ini.

Strategi terbabit juga membolehkan kumpulan mengatasi Google dan Facebook sebagai pilihan popular kandungan mudah alih dalam kalangan rakyat Malaysia.

Berdasarkan data daripada syarikat penilaian media dan analitik berpejabat di Amerika Syarikat (AS), Comscore Mobile Metrix Top 100 Properties, bagi bulan Disember 2018, Media Prima berada dalam kedudukan teratas dengan 13.60 juta pelawat unik di Malaysia, meningkat 62 peratus daripada Disember 2017.

Mengulas mengenai prestasi itu, Pengerusi Kumpulannya, Datuk Mohd Nasir Ahmad, berkata peningkatan dalam prestasi kewangan membuktikan impak positif pelan transformasi Media Prima.

“Kami percaya inisiatif pada tahun kewangan 2018 berjaya membina asas yang kukuh untuk meneroka pertumbuhan baharu perolehan dan peluang pada 2019.

“Melihat ke depan, kami akan kekal fokus untuk meraih kelebihan kompetetif dalam segmen digital dan perdagangan, di samping memantau rapat kecekapan operasi yang menjadi sebahagian daripada strategi kami untuk meningkatkan nilai pemegang saham,” katanya.

Pengarah Urusan Kumpulan, Datuk Kamal Khalid, berkata prestasi kukuh itu juga menunjukkan inisiatif transformasi sudah mula meningkatkan margin kumpulan dan mengimbangi kerugian daripada segmen tradisional.

“Jika dikecualikan perkara luar biasa, kumpulan merekodkan kerugian selepas cukai yang lebih rendah sebanyak 42 peratus.

“Kami percaya dengan operasi sebagai kumpulan aset ringan dan pada masa sama sebagai peserta utama dalam landskap tradisional dan digital, ia memberi kami lebih ketangkasan dan daya saing untuk berkembang pantas dalam sektor pertumbuhan utama,” katanya.

SUMBER: BH ONLINE

RHB Bank Untung RM2.305 Bilion

FOTO SUMBER: nst.com.my

KEWANGAN | RHB Bank Bhd mencatat untung bersih RM565.42 juta bagi suku kewangan keempat berakhir 31 Disember 2018, meningkat berbanding RM409.07 juta suku sama tahun sebelumnya.

Pendapatan pada suku dikaji meningkat kepada RM3.309 bilion berbanding RM3.074 bilion suku sama tahun sebelumnya.

Bank itu mencatat keuntungan bersih terkumpul berjumlah RM2.305 bilion bagi keseluruhan tahun kewangan 2018, meningkat berbanding RM1.950 bilion tahun sebelumnya.

Ia diraih daripada pendapatan yang meningkat kepada RM12.690 bilion berbanding RM11. 869 bilion setahun lalu, demikian menurut kenyataan yang difailkan bank itu di Bursa Malaysia.

Bank itu berkata, peningkatan keuntungan itu disumbang peningkatan dalam pendapatan berasaskan dana bersih sebanyak 8.5 peratus kepada RM4.94 bilion berbanding setahun lalu.

Selain itu katanya, ia turut disumbang peningkatan dalam pendapatan bukan berasaskan dana sebanyak 1.8 peratus kepada RM1.86 bilion, disumbang sebahagian besarnya oleh keuntungan tukaran asing dan dagangan, dan pendapatan pelaburan.

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