The Fourth Industrial Revolution – what does it mean to our future faculty?

Abstract

The future of a country like South Africa is predicated upon policies; whether these policies are effective or ineffective is not primarily an issue. The prospects and realities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) have proven to be shaping strategic policies across various spheres of national life already, including the national government, academia, civil society and the private sector. Ultimately, as strategic policies begin to take shape and come along, there is a need to pose certain important questions: what direction(s) and against what context(s) is the 4IR being embraced? In this Commentary, authored by young faculty, we discuss and debate some of the strategic recommendations of the South African Presidential Panel of the Fourth Industrial Revolution¹, specifically ‘securing and availing data to enable innovation’, ‘incentivising future industries, platforms and application of 4IR’ and ‘building 4IR infrastructure’. We look at the historical context of such recommendations, and identify advantageous positions as well as gaps that may need more discussion. We then ask: What does the 4IR truly mean for our future academics and researchers?