Saudi Arabia to have the fifth global centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution
The Saudi Arabian affiliate for the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) is set to host the first conference on “the Middle East in the Fourth Industrial Revolution” on 5-6 April 2020 in Riyadh.
The Saudi centre, the fifth affiliate centre globally, is the outcome of an agreement reached late last year between the Kingdom and the Swiss-based, non-profit organization. Signed in November 2019, this C4IR will see a new era of cooperation between the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), supported by the Saudi Center for International Strategic Partnerships (SCISP).
C41R is at the heart of the WEF's effort to shape the development and application of emerging technologies for the benefit of humanity. Schwab created the Fourth Industrial Revolution concept in 2015, to encompass technologies that combine hardware, software and biology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and advances in communication and connectivity.
“To use the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution such as AI and blockchain, and many others, for driving economic development and social progress, we need global cooperation,” Schwab added. “On the eve of its G20 presidency, we welcome the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to shape those technologies in a way that serves society.”
