Previous industrial revolutions liberated humankind from animal power, made mass production possible and brought digital capabilities to billions of people.

This 4. Industrial Revolution is, however, fundamentally different.

It is characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological World, impacting all disciplines, economies and industries, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be Human.

These technologies have great potential to continue to connect billions more people to the web, drastically improve the efficiency of business and organizations.

And help regenerate the natural environment through better asset management, potentially even undoing all the damage previous industrial revolutions have caused.

Organizations though could be unable or unwilling to adapt to these new technologies and that governments could fail to employ or regulate these technologies properly.

Shifting power will create important new security concerns, and inequalities could grow rather than shrink if things are not managed properly.

As automation increases, computers and machines will replace workers across a vast spectrum of industries, from drivers to accountants and estate agents to insurance agents.

By one estimate, as many as 47% of U.S. jobs are at risk from automation.