This document provides an introduction to Society 5.0 and discusses the impact of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence on research and information professions. It defines Society 5.0 as a human-centered society that balances economic growth with social issues using highly integrated digital and physical systems. The document also outlines the four industrial revolutions, describes technologies involved in the current fourth revolution like AI and IoT, and examines how these technologies could impact researchers and information professionals by automating tasks and changing roles.

1. Society 5.0 – an
introduction
Humanity & Technology in harmony
Dr Heila Pienaar

2. HUMANITY & TECHNOLOGY
IMPACT ON RESEARCH
AND
IMPACT ON INFORMATION
PROFESSIONS
FOURTH INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION (4IR/Industry 4.0)
INCLUDING
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
AND ASSOCIATED
TECHNOLOGIES

3. CONTENT
SOCIETY 5.0
4IR
AI AND ASSOCIATED TECHNOLOGIES
IMPACT ON RESEARCH
IMPACT ON INFORMATION PROFESSIONS

4. SOCIETY 5.0
 In anticipation of global trends, the 5th Science and Technology Basic
Plan, adopted by the Japanese Cabinet in January 2016, presented
Society 5.0 as a core concept.
https://www.hitachi.com/rev/archive/2017/r2017_0
 One definition: "A human-centered society that balances economic
advancement with the resolution of social problems by a system that
highly integrates cyberspace and physical space."
 It follows the hunting society (Society 1.0), agricultural society (Society
2.0), industrial society (Society 3.0), and information society (Society
4.0).

7. https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/english/society5_0/index.html

8. Relationship with other big ideas
 4IR: In 2019, Society 5.0 was acknowledged by the World Economic Forum and it
was stated that “…As for the problems to solve, Society 5.0 aims to answer both the
future economic and societal challenges faced by humanity at its present and future
stage, by using all the advances of Industry 4.0”.
 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): In 2019, Nakamura Michiharu, senior
advisor to the Japan Science and Technology Agency, linked the vision of Society 5.0
with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
https://www.up.ac.za/news/post_2953210-society-5.0-offers-the-possibility-of-affordable-accessible-education-for-all-up-expert

9. https://www.readkong.com/page/japan-s-efforts-
for-promoting-the-sdgs-2243362

10. 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
 According to Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World
Economic Forum and author of The Fourth Industrial Revolution (2016), the new age
is differentiated by the speed of technological breakthroughs, the pervasiveness
of scope and the tremendous impact of new (integrated) systems
 The First Industrial Revolution, in the 18th and 19th centuries, involved a change from
mostly agrarian societies to greater industrialization as a consequence of the steam
engine and other technological developments.
 The next technological age, the Second Industrial Revolution was driven by electricity
and involved expansion of industries and mass production as well as technological
advances.
 The Third Industrial Revolution, sometimes called the digital revolution, involved the
development of computers and IT (information technology) since the middle of the
20th century. https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/fourth-industrial-revolution

11. 4IR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
It’s the collective force behind many products and services
that are fast becoming indispensable to modern life:
Think GPS systems that suggest the fastest route to a
destination,
voice-activated virtual assistants such as Apple’s Siri,
personalized Netflix and Kindle recommendations,
and Facebook’s ability to recognize your face and tag you in
a friend’s photo.
https://www.salesforce.com/blog/what-is-the-
fourth-industrial-revolution-4ir/

12. AI PLUS – specific technologies of 4IR
include, but are not limited to:
• artificial intelligence
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• robotics
• virtual reality
• mobile devices
• 3D printing
• smart sensors
• big data/analytics
• augmented reality (AR)
• data visualization
• cognitive computing
• location detection
• customer profiling
• blockchain
• quantum computing
• cloud computing
• biotechnology
• machine learning
• deep learning
https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/fourth-industrial-revolution

14. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TYPES
https://images.app.goo.gl/cEkL1vYZ4Cdy1pFS9

15. INTERNET OF THINGS

18. ROBOTICS

19. LIBBY THE UP LIBRARY ROBOT

20. IMPACT ON RESEARCH
 Digital science aspects important for researchers in 2035 according to a study:
 digital science requires the adoption of open science principles
 in which AI systems would be able to manage and analyze big datasets
 while guaranteeing high precision, quality, standardization of procedures and reproducibility of
results
 data would be easily shared in real-time among the scientific community through virtual
laboratories and channel-based messaging/meeting platforms.
 increased cybersecurity control would be indispensable when data are shared, to guarantee
the validation of results and data security.
 ethics and regulatory procedures need to be revised; a novel ethical framework should be
formulated when AI systems, avatars, robots and innovative technologies become an
integral part of research.
 technological, digital skills and an interdisciplinary scientific background would be required
when training and educating future digital scientists

21. Barbazzeni, B., Friebe, M .16 July 2021. Digital
Scientist 2035-An Outlook on Innovation and
Education. Frontiers in Computer Science.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomp.2021.710972

22. IMPACT ON INFORMATION PROFESSIONS
Cox, A.M. Research report: The impact of AI, machine
learning, automation and robotics on the information
professions. May 2021. cilip.org.uk
Poole, N. CILIP response to Research report: The impact of
AI, machine learning, automation and robotics on the
information professions. May 2021.

23. Some findings
 These technologies are not coming, they are already here.
 This transformation is impacting at every point in the supply-chain of
knowledge and information.
 As ethical information professionals we have a vital role to play in
democratising AI plus, rather than deepening the digital divide.
 These technologies are impacting first on high-value, high-volume
tasks, but are quickly developing to address lower-value, more
repetitive tasks.
 In the process they will remove the need for existing jobs, but also
create new roles for information professionals comfortable with the
technologies.
 There is an urgent need to expand on the existing digital skills and
confidence of the knowledge and information workforce to take on new
roles.

24. Impacts and implications
 The transformation of search and knowledge retrieval
 New AI interfaces to existing knowledge systems
 New techniques for analysing and extracting knowledge from
content
 New approaches to systematic reviews
 New tools for interacting with information users
 Approaches based on influencing user behaviour
 Automation of routine administrative tasks
 Developing services in ‘smart’ spaces
 Automated management of physical book stock and materials

25. Recommendations
 Leaders in information services and libraries need to create
organisational structures within which experiment is possible and
within which individual learning is supported and encouraged. (the
creative and innovative university library)
 Information services and libraries should actively engage with AI to
explore the potential benefit to users. (and their own products and
services)
 Knowledge should be actively shared across the wider profession.
 There is a need for both short courses (e.g. CPD) and more in-depth
training in relevant AI applications.
 More research is needed on the adoption of AI, the organisational
structures that support it and on the impact of AI on information,
knowledge management and library roles.

26. Would you let a robot lawyer
defend you?
Joshua Browder describes his app DoNotPay as "the world's
first robot lawyer".
It helps users draft legal letters. You tell its chatbot what your
problem is, such as appealing against a parking fine, and it
will suggest what it thinks is the best legal language to use.
"People can type in their side of an argument using their own
words, and software with a machine learning model matches
that with a legally correct way of saying it," he says.
https://www.bbc.co.za.uk/new/business-58159920

27. Question?
If all the routine roles and tasks are taken
over by AI what will your role be?
If the more advanced roles and tasks are
taken over by AI what will your role be?

28.  https://www.up.ac.za/cf-robotics_robotics_ai2021

29. Interesting links:
Inside a warehouse where robots are packing groceries:
https://youtu.be/4DKrcpa8Z_E
Inside a smart Amazon warehouse:
https://youtu.be/IMPbKVb8y8s
Stanford University Library AI studio:
https://library.stanford.edu/projects/artificial-intelligence/about
Stanford University Library free online course: Elements of
AI: https://course.elementsofai.com/