Unleashing Bangladesh's Potential: Embracing the 4th Industrial Revolution

 

In the wake of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Bangladesh stands on the brink of a transformative journey into a future defined by technological advancements. While obstacles in adaptation, fear of change and lack of expertise persist, Bangladesh's potential lies in its youth, widespread accessibility of mobile phones and internet, and the increasing interest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This is my take on the concepts of the 4th Industrial Revolution and the obstacles faced by Bangladesh in this journey.

During the First Industrial Revolution, production was mechanised using steam and water power. The Second employed electricity to mass produce goods. To automate production, the Third utilised electronics and computer technologies. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is now building upon the Third, the digital revolution that has been taking place since the mid-twentieth century. It is distinguished by a merge of technologies that blurs the distinctions between the physical, digital and biological domains. Industry 4.0 basically operates on these 4 foundations:

1. Connectivity, data and computational power.

2. Analytics and intelligence.

3. Human–machine interaction.

4. Advanced engineering.

The world as we see it now has changed a lot due to the Fourth Industrial revolution. The jobs that we used to consider difficult are now mechanised or aided through modern technology. The world has become way more accessible due to the widespread connectivity via Internet. The usage of Cloud Storage is immense whenever we want to use any data anywhere in the world. The transactions have become simpler and less time consuming. Artificial Intelligence, another vital aspect of 4IR, has significance which is incomprehensible to us. Human Machine Interaction has made our lives easier as we are now amalgamated with technology in every aspect of our life. Starting from household appliances to professional work, these machines and apps help us in our day to day life. All the advanced technologies are made using nanoparticles and their importances know no bounds.

However this 4IR is quite a new term and not yet implemented thoroughly in most of the world. Let's take our country, Bangladesh for instance, it still lags behind in using modern technology in most of the fields. There are many challenges that are faced by countries in the case of implementing 4IR. Such as-

1. Adaptation: People take a long period of time to adapt to new ideas and technologies and the same goes for the implementation of 4IR in the majority of the countries. People are yet to know of the importances of 4IR and its applications.

2. Fear: People fear change. 4IR is no exception, it is after all, a change from the past. People are afraid that having technical skills will become obsolete with the emergence of modern technology in our daily lives, but in reality it might make their work easier and will open up newer opportunities. 

3. Lack of expertise: People are still unaware about the full extent of the 4IR and the implementation of such technology is quite challenging. The resources required to implement these technologies are also not available in many countries.

Although there lie many challenges, the world has moved on very fast and this is being integrated everywhere slowly but surely, because modernisation is the way to go if we want to keep up with the rest of the world. Bangladesh has many opportunities for implementing these technologies. Since we are moving towards being a developed country, we must focus on our opportunities. The following situations need to be considered and looked upon: 

1. We are now known as Smart Bangladesh where Mobile phones and Internet have reached to many households even in the rural areas. However, people’s acceptance towards new technologies is yet to be improved. My personal take on this situation is that the textbooks and study materials can be more comprehensive about the fourth industrial revolution and its aspects so that the new generation becomes aware about the current world.

2. As technical skills are gradually becoming obsolete, the trend of having only academic knowledge and technical skills will not be sufficient. Proper training about robotics and AI should be given to graduates or they must be motivated to learn those by themselves as the new job field will require the usage of AI and Robotics

3. The communication and connectivity in our country is already quite standard as the mobile networks and Internet services are offered properly in cities and also in rural areas. However it has yet room for improvements and the government must look upon the matter. 

4. Proper RNDs and Tech companies must be funded properly so that we become accustomed with new technologies and also gain a competitive edge using our human resources in developing new technologies in the market.

 

Bangladesh has a lot of potential as its youth are in the right direction and very innovative on their own. By supporting them properly and having them provide the best work environment, Bangladesh can achieve its position as a country with the most innovative youths. Economic development will be inevitable if we can implement 4IR properly and thus it's in our hands to make our country flourish.

References:

1. Schwab K. (2016). The Fourth Industrial Revolution: what it means, how to respond. World Economic Forum.The Fourth Industrial Revolution: what it means and how to respond | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

2. What are Industry 4.0, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and 4IR? McKinsey and Company. What is industry 4.0 and the Fourth Industrial Revolution? | McKinsey

Chowdhury Sami Murshed

ID: 23301478