The transformative potential of technology in production systems is widely recognised, even while the precise configuration and extent of the possible transformation remain unknown.

Trends towards higher levels of automation promise greater speed and precision of production as well as reduced exposure to dangerous tasks for employees. New production technologies could help overcome the stagnant productivity of recent decades and make way for more value-added activity. The extent of automation is, however, causing significant anxiety about issues of employment and inequality.

The new technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution have the potential to transform the global geography of production and will need to be deployed in ways that address and adapt to the impact of climate change.

Report by the World Economic Forum