Sultan Nazrin: Transhumanism elements will change lifestyle concepts

TANJUNG MALIM: The Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah said elements of transhumanism will begin to sketch human life as well as challenge natural concepts due to the existence of artificial intelligence and biotechnology.
He said elements of transhumanism or cross-humanity occurs when the human world is combined with the robot world through the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industrial Revolution 4.0).
"Humans must see the probability of a new eco-system that will change not only the way of life, work and society and norms but in fact, the perception of man itself," he said.
Sultan Nazrin said this at the first session of the 15th Sultan Azlan Shah Polytechnic Convocation Ceremony in Behrang, here today.
He said the Industrial Revolution 4.0 would lead to a transformation of the culture of work and daily life involving three major domains, namely, physical, digital and biological.
Sultan Nazrin said the Industrial Revolution 4.0 triggered a new challenge which demanded that humans emerge from their comfort zone besides mastering numerous elements including critical thinking and problem-solving.
In the meantime, the Sultan also emphasised the importance of ensuring that humans continue to play a major role without being dominated by robots, other than being the designers of robotic systems to facilitate work without sacrificing the value or spirit of humanity.
"All the knowledge and skills acquired must be used in the best possible manner, ensuring they do not contradict the concept of divinity and faith so that every success will produce innovation and new creations," he said.
The Sultan of Perak also said in the face of current world needs, educational programmes and agenda must be prioritised because the current technological advances were taking place at a very fast pace.
"Education is a commodity that is made easy for every family. Education has been instrumental in transforming the social and economic structure of society.
"The education programme should be widened and expanded. In fact, in the face of current world needs, and future challenges, educational programmes must not only be widened and expanded but must also be enhanced," he said.
At the convocation ceremony, 1,427 graduates received their awards encompassing Bachelor Degrees (25) and diploma graduates from the Civil Engineering Department, Mechanical Engineering Department, Electrical Engineering Department and the Department of Commerce (1,402). — Bernama