Is everything getting smart?

For the experts, the extent and consequences of this change remain open. They are therefore convinced that we must prepare ourselves in such a way that we are able to act in good time.

What's in store for us?
At the Swiss Green Economy Symposium at the end of 2016, Xaver Edelmann, President of SQS, and other 'smart changemakers' tackled this difficult question. In the forum on 'Digitisation and the world of work', they tried to identify the questions that are currently being asked, where the risks lie and how the opportunities for the future can be seized. Below are the 10 most important assessments of the experts in condensed form:

1. With the fourth industrial revolution, we are facing a historic upheaval. Artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, Big Data, virtual reality and brain technology are all facts. All of this is unsettling, but also holds great opportunities.

2. There is no turning back. Change is underway on a broad front and is increasingly influencing the economy and society. The awareness of this is there, but the intensity and quality of the adjustment processes initiated in the sectors of industry, services, trade, public administration and education vary.

3. We all have to rethink, adapt, set impulses, take measures. SMEs in particular must be in a position to help shape and implement the digital transformation, otherwise they could lose out. An important element in this is the support of these

4. Markets will change radically in the coming years. Only those who enter into innovative partnerships, venture into new territory and think outside the box will be able to profit.

5. The same applies to people as workers. Working methods and contents are in a state of upheaval, and at the same time the requirements will increase. Those who stop developing run the risk of losing their connection to the job market in the long term. However, many employees do not yet realize what is currently happening. It is necessary to provide information and give impulses.

"We need changes in the way we deal with knowledge."

6. The current boom has a new cause: the artificial intelligence of machines in the form of expert systems or autonomous systems. Computers have been "on the road" as human assistants for 70 years, but today they play a completely different role. They work in a mixed form of coexistence and competition with humans. On the one hand, we humans will increasingly concentrate on more intelligent tasks, but on the other hand we are also more replaceable. An Oxford study shows that about half of all jobs could be rationalized. Other studies assume that technical progress will create new jobs.

7. But be careful with vague predictions in a time of abrupt change, because every revolution is different from the previous one. It is crucial that we manage the change properly and provide employees with the support they need. This includes new job profiles, different emphases in operational cooperation and innovative accents in training and further education.

"All of us need to rethink, adapt, build momentum."

8. Lifelong learning, a proven guiding principle for decades, is becoming more important. According to experts, in the future, people will increasingly work on their own "skill set" - their individual skills profile for "all cases", so to speak. The set will become the trump card in the job market. A fixation on one's traditional profession would not be conducive to one's own further development.

9. We need changes in the way we deal with knowledge and skills. The IT-based industries in particular show that specialist skills are very quickly outdated. A look at practice shows that employee training is increasingly focusing on the social and methodological skills of our century. These are the competencies that help employees to survive in a world of uncertainty. Project management know-how is one of them. At swisscom, for example, trainees are already shaping their own apprenticeships with projects. In this way, they get their finger on the pulse of the company at an early stage, with the support of a coach. Successfully, as the apprenticeship completion rate shows.

10. Sensitive data requires protection. Digitalisation facilitates the handling of data and smoothes access. However, citizens, employees, customers, patients and others must be able to count on the trustworthy handling of personal data. There is a need for action here. It is important to mark the interfaces and boundaries that are necessary for the transfer, analysis and further processing of data.
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