On December 1st, the “2017 China Manufacturing Thousand People’s Association†took place in Tianjin, focusing on the theme of “Promoting Advanced Manufacturing to Industrial Intelligence.†During the event, Wang Mingfen, the deputy dean of the Industry 4.0 Research Institute, delivered a keynote speech titled “AI2.0 Redefining Smart Manufacturing†and later welcomed an exclusive visit from the top network representatives.
**Made in China 2025 and Industry 4.0**
Currently, China has launched and released its national strategy, “Made in China 2025.†But what is the relationship between this initiative and Germany’s Industry 4.0? President Wang provided insightful answers.
“Made in China 2025 represents China's national strategy, while Industry 4.0 is Germany’s approach to modernizing manufacturing. These two state-led strategies are not only competitive but also collaborative, forming a global framework for simultaneous development.â€
With each industrial revolution comes a wave of transformation. In the context of the fourth industrial revolution, what groundbreaking technologies will emerge, and how will they reshape our lives and consumption habits? President Wang further elaborated on this topic.
“If something is truly disruptive, it must be a universal technology—what we call a GPT (General Purpose Technology). While industrialization has been ongoing for decades, we are now witnessing accelerated growth. This is a period of large-scale production. However, improving efficiency or significantly reducing costs through specific technologies during this phase remains challenging. Yet, as big data and artificial intelligence become more widespread, their applications have expanded beyond manufacturing into the consumer sector. I believe that in the fourth industrial revolution, artificial intelligence is indispensable. While AI may be more advanced in consumer and financial fields, its integration with digitization and cloud computing in manufacturing can ultimately transform societal productivity and create new technological breakthroughs.â€
**Current Technical Challenges in Industry 4.0**
As industries move toward Industry 4.0, what technical obstacles still exist, and how might they be addressed in the future? Dean Wang provided an in-depth analysis.
Industry 4.0 is a long-term, forward-looking strategy. When Germany first introduced it in 2013, it wasn’t expected to be fully implemented so soon. The vision is to achieve intelligent services across society. Technically, the main challenge lies in the lack of universally applicable solutions. Currently, different industries use various technologies and knowledge systems that are not yet integrated. There is no unified operational system that connects production to final consumption. Germany has even published a report called “The World of Intelligent Services,†which was referenced at the time.
So far, Industry 4.0 is still in its early stages—not just due to technical limitations, but also because of business model challenges. Companies need to carefully evaluate the cost of adopting new technologies against the potential profits they can generate.
**Smart Manufacturing: Replacing or Liberating?**
What happens when artificial intelligence becomes a general-purpose technology in the manufacturing industry? Will AI replace human labor? President Wang shared his thoughts on the future of AI.
Artificial intelligence primarily enables data processing, and its application in the consumer field differs from that in the industrial sector. Industrial settings involve physical devices that generate real-world data, which requires mapping and integration with these systems. This leads to improvements in efficiency and better coordination across the entire supply chain.
Regarding whether AI will replace humans, there is a growing consensus in the industry. Currently, AI is not smarter than humans; it may outperform them in certain tasks like calculations and operations, but it cannot produce true intelligence. Therefore, it is unlikely to replace human workers entirely.
Whether machines will replace people is a question with a clear answer: No. Whether it's Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, or digital manufacturing, the focus remains on making people more efficient. It may replace some jobs that are repetitive, mechanical, or physically demanding, but this is more about liberating the workforce. With an aging population globally, our technologies will not cause job crises but will instead create new, valuable opportunities. Ultimately, smart manufacturing is a tool for progress, not a threat.
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