What is Industry 4.0?

The move from humans working with computers to computers working without humans is almost upon us, and some are already calling it Industry 4.0 – or the fourth industrial revolution. For those not keeping up with your industrial revolutions, the first was considered launched by the use of steam and water power, the second by the use of electricity, and the third by the introduction of computers in the workplace. The name Industry 4.0 was first coined by the German Government, and represents the implementation of artificial intelligence, big data, and the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in the factories. It might be the first revolution where humans are not required, according to some. Once computers can talk to each other and automate the assembly line, and AI can understand issues and address them ahead of time, there might be no need for humans.