Abang Johari: Crucial to master challenges brought by fourth industrial revolution

KUCHING: From a strategy perspective, it is crucial for Sarawak to master the challenges brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution which is resulting in innovations through the merging of the physical, digital, and biological worlds, said Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.
"We need to optimize our business capabilities and process in order to boldly lead Sarawak into the future we envisaged for our people, by collaborating through the sharing of our collective knowledge and participating in strategic partnership," he said.
Speaking at the opening of the Business Excellence Seminar and Forum 2017 organised by Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here today, he said to leapfrog into the future envisioned, the state needs to provide its young talent with the environment and the basic infrastructure very much needed to harness their capabilities.
He pointed out that many of initiatives mooted under his administration, such as the acquisition of Bakun dam, championing the digital economy, the development of the Bank of Sarawak, among others; are the manifestation of state commitment toward realizing these visions.
The fourth industrial revolution refers to the manner in which all types of machines and devices interact, communicate and learn from each other, whereby at this early stage, it's similar to the Internet of Things (IoT), the concept in which everyday objects such as cars, refrigerators, TVs, ovens and home security systems are all connected to the internet.
Add on top of that is the layers of artificial intelligence (AI) that saves time by making decisions for users, making life easier, it even creates new business opportunities; as some analysts put it, the thing that AI and IoT have in common is the use and interpretation of big data, whereby companies that invest in all three areas - AI, IoT and big data, stand a good chance at becoming leaders and innovators in the fourth industrial revolution.
Later in a press conference, Abang Johari said currently sectors in Sarawak are not even fully into the 2.0 Industrial Revolution – that is the mechanisation.
"Not all our sectors are fully mechanised, then we talk about the 3.0 Industrial Revolution that is about using devices, the new way to run your businesses, but I want to leapfrog into 4.0, that is involving the AI. Whether we can do it … well, that is why we need to have a certain roadmap to leapfrog," he said.
"The key is to have a good connectivity and good IT infrastructure. All the initiatives I have taken is to really stimulate our economic growth, at the same time stimulate the talent of our young," he added.
"We have these talents among Sarawakian, particularly those staying overseas. So we bring them back, and they will apply those talents within that 4.0 ecosystem. That is why I'm talking about the big data," he added. — Bernama