Malaysia 5.0: A national IR4.0 policy

Malaysia 5.0 outlines a problem-solving approach to society's challenges and problems through the deployment and implementation of Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) The term "Society 5.0" describes the next stage of the evolution of societal communities, following the hunting society (Society 1.0), agricultural society (Society 2.0), industrial society (Society 3.0), and information society (Society 4.0). The key differentiation of Society 5.0 (the digital age) from Society 4.0 (the information age) is the convergence of the virtual world with the physical world. Covid-19 has accelerated the migration of society from physical infrastructures onto digital infrastructures, but Society 5.0 holds the promise to bring these back together through the use of IR4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), blockchain and digital assets (FinTech). A national IR4.0 policy is needed to create a new narrative for Malaysia as an innovation economy that can compete in a disruptive technology world, serve as a springboard into Asean, bridge Asia, the Middle East and Africa, as well as connect with the 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide.