Fourth Industrial Revolution (aka "4IR", "Industry 4.0", "I4.0")

A period of rapid change to technology, industries, societal patterns and processes in the 21st century due to increasing interconnectivity and smart automation. The term was popularized in 2016 by Klaus Schwab, the World Economic Forum founder and executive chairman, and has since been used in numerous economic, political, and scientific articles in reference to the current era of emerging high technology. Schwab asserts that the changes seen are more than just improvements to efficiency, but express a significant shift in industrial capitalism.