THEMBA NETSHIFIRA
Many people were forced by the Covid-19 pandemic to adapt to new norms. While the pandemic led to an improvement in some skills, it also took away the human connection.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) talks about the tech era we’re in, while the Fifth IR refers to the human consciousness that we see ourselves returning to through technology.
Undoubtedly, technology has played a positive role in our lives. Each revolution sets the tone and theme for the next. While we can term the 4th IR as digitisation and the 5th IR as personalisation, it is evident that you can’t only do business or serve through machines alone. We need human beings for both industries to integrate.
My journey with technology
For the past seven years, I initiated a digital learning programme in the province of Mpumalanga, where I trained young people in computer and tech skills.
It was my observation during this process that while they were all learning, some were out of touch with their counterparts next to them, even when they needed help.
Maybe it was the idea that while other skills were being developed others were being lost. Today, a lot of young people cannot effectively communicate and lack emotional intelligence, which is the most important part of coexisting with others.
Robots and young people
It takes us back to the point that AI, robotics, VR and others do not have senses. Rather, young people have adopted some of those attributes. That is why we will see a need for personalisation and human consciousness in the 5th IR.
Technology cannot take over human civilisation; human beings are not machines and we live our lives based on trust and building relationships.
The 5th IR will revolutionise the future of work, or rather we can say it will take us back to the future. Where employers will measure their employees based on their soft skills rather than how tech-savvy they are, where humans will augment technology to human senses.
ITWeb reported global tech lay-offs that are taking place from the likes of Telkom, Facebook, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM, SAP, Dell, Indeed and Ericsson.
According to consulting firm Deloitte, the global tech sector announced 97 171 job cuts in 2022, up 649% compared with the previous year.
This shows that tech companies are doing more with less. We are going into a phase where a developer will not only be expected to develop a product, but be able to also understand human development and the hierarchy of needs. Maybe the question we need to ask ourselves is, is the 5th IR on our doorsteps? And are our young people ready for it? While most people are still trying to adapt to the 4th IR, they might need to be adjusting to the latter.
Young people need to understand the importance of both hard and soft skills. Learn to personalise the digital era. One can suffice to say technology is here to stay and we need not forget that human beings created technology, which means human beings will always be superior.
Lately, people have been talking about ChatGPT, which is basically an AI machine that collects data from the cloud. The question is, can ChatGPT collect aural data which are our African stories that have been passed down from one generation to another through narration? Can machines create a special work of art like Michelangelo did? The 5th IR realises and sees the importance of a human being.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has admitted that “excessive automation” at his company was a mistake, tweeting that “Humans are underrated.”
Themba Netshifira is a member of ACTIVATE! Change Drivers writers hub
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