Kenya: Global Health Crisis Paved the Road for 4iR

Some years are so eventful that they are regarded as pivotal in history. Years when wars and slavery ended and deep generational fissures burst into the open are some of them. Because of Covid-19, 2020 will certainly join the list.

But imagine living our 2020 reality in 1980 — with no connected devices, ability to video-conference or artificial intelligence (AI).

The pandemic may have had a devastating impact on the world but not all its transformative effects have been negative. Every society it touched was challenged to adapt to a new reality.

As individuals and companies searched for solutions, the acceleration of the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4iR), or Industry 4.0, technologies — such as cloud computing, AI, 5G network and ‘Big Data’ — approximated a fever pitch.

They became an integral part of not only how we survived the pandemic but will exist in a post-pandemic world.

As workforces moved home to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, cloud computing helped companies to continue with their day-to-day operations. It allowed them to expand and contract information technology (IT) infrastructure in a cost-effective way, which was critical as needs evolved — and will continue to as we emerge into a new reality.

Now that more companies experienced the flexibility of cloud computing, they can now be more strategic about how they will use it and also refine how they use it to develop best practices.

Digital transformation

Public health officials relied on AI to better understand infection patterns and predict surges in cases to help hospital administrations navigate demand on the system. Bots were put into use for contactless deliveries, cleaning and administering medication.

Whether figuring out ways to communicate with customers or stakeholders, automate business processes or optimise online orders, AI was making it all possible. AI learns from experience. To get better in the future, the surge in reliance on AI will certainly result in it becoming more advanced.

In countries like China, 5G has been the backbone of the online society. The demand to handle a varied stream of data from our inter-connected devices at a high speed makes the 5G network an imperative in the advancements of 4iR.

Covid-19 showed how important 5G in the transformation to Industry 4.0 and created new use cases and business demand for stable wireless networking.

As the pandemic is still very much in our current reality, it’s safe to say that we’re still in the midst of transforming with Industry 4.0 technologies.

A year ago, you most likely wouldn’t have expected that annual in-person tech events would have moved from the convention hall to the internet or that online grocery shopping and delivery would be embraced by so many.

If Covid-19 taught us anything, it’s how much can change in a year. Now that it accelerated digital transformation and adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, imagine where we’ll be a year from now.

Mr Onyango is a Global Impact fellow at MWI. charlesdarwin040@gmail.com.

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