Page 104 - The Fourth Industrial Revolution

revolution. This will require collaborative and flexible structures that

reflect the integration of various ecosystems and which take fully into
account all stakeholders, bringing together the public and private sectors, as
well as the most knowledgeable minds in the world from all backgrounds.

Second, building on a shared understanding, we need to develop positive,
common and comprehensive narratives about how we can shape the fourth
industrial revolution for current and future generations. Although we may

not know the precise content of these narratives, we do know critical
features that they must contain. For example, they must make explicit the
values and ethical principles that our future systems must embody. Markets

are effective drivers of wealth creation, but we must ensure that values and
ethics are at the heart of our individual and collective behaviours, and the
systems they nourish. These narratives must also evolve progressively
higher degrees of perspective-taking, from tolerance and respect to care and
compassion. They should also be empowering and inclusive, driven by

shared values that encourage this.

Third, on the basis of raised awareness and shared narratives, we must

embark on restructuring our economic, social and political systems to take
full advantage of the opportunities presented. It is clear that our current
decision-making systems and dominant models of wealth creation were

designed and incrementally evolved throughout the first three industrial
revolutions. These systems, however, are no longer equipped to deliver on
the current, and more to the point, the future generational needs in the
context of the fourth industrial revolution. This will clearly require systemic
innovation and not small-scale adjustments or reforms at the margin.

As all three steps show, we cannot get there without ongoing cooperation

and dialogue - at local, national and supra-national levels, with all
interested parties having a voice. We need to focus on getting the underlying
conditions right, and not just concentrate on the technical aspects. As the
evolutionist Martin Nowak, a professor of mathematics and biology at

Harvard University, reminds us, cooperation is “the only thing that will
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redeem mankind.” As the principal architect of four billion years of
evolution, cooperation has been a driving force because it enables us to
adapt amid increasing complexity and strengthens political, economic and

social cohesion through which substantial progress is achieved.

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