Dr Rohde presenting the Fourth Industrial Revolution lecture at UJ on 30 July 2019.
The demand for Dr Gustav Rohde’s lecture The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Digital Transformation – An opportunity to reposition was great and SAAE therefore presented the lecture on 15 March 2019 in the Reitz Hall at the University of Stellenbosch and on 30 July 2019 in the Bessie Head Seminar Room on the Doornfontein Campus of the University of Johannesburg. The lecture drew big audiences on both occasions. Dr Rohde pointed out that the term “Fourth Industrial Revolution” was only coined as late as 2016 by Schwab during the World Economic Forum in Davos and that now, a mere two years later, the scale, speed and impact of new technologies, built around artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, autonomous vehicles, additive manufacturing and biotechnology, are changing industry and the world completely. The previous three industrial revolutions had a significant impact on engineering, but this revolution is larger and faster than before and is expected to disrupt many engineering activities significantly. However, the wide spectrum of digital disruptions facing the fraternity can be viewed as either a threat or an opportunity to reposition ourselves.