The Fourth Industrial Revolution
The current era of technological change in which digital, physical, and biological systems are merging through AI, robotics, and connected devices.
Explanation
The term was coined by Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, who introduced it at the 2016 Davos meeting and expanded on it in a book of the same name. It builds on the historical framing of three prior industrial revolutions, steam and mechanization, electricity and mass production, electronics and computing, to describe today's convergence of AI, IoT, biotechnology, and automation. The concept matters to marketing teams because it frames how consumer behavior, supply chains, and media consumption are being reshaped simultaneously by multiple overlapping technologies rather than by a single innovation.
Usage context / examples
Klaus Schwab used the World Economic Forum's annual Davos meeting to popularize the term, arguing it would change not only what people do but who they are.
Related terms
Industry 4.0, Digital Transformation, Technological Convergence
Turkish equivalent
Dördüncü Sanayi Devrimi
Turkish definition
Yapay zeka, robotik ve bağlantılı cihazların dijital, fiziksel ve biyolojik sistemleri birleştirdiği günümüz teknolojik dönüşüm çağını tanımlayan terimdir.