TheJakartaPost
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Focus on people to build smart communities, cities
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The application of the internet of things (IoT) has become a mainstay of contemporary life. With the constant obsession over “smart” — everything, we seem to be on the precipice of a utopia of digitally — assisted living. (Shutterstock/File)
P
eople are talking about industry 4.0 and 5.0, but in these efforts to build a smart digital environment, there is a serious lack of attention to those on the ground, or to measures for improving the lives of the poor and destitute.
Even with the recent adoption of the ASEAN Smart Cities Framework by ASEAN leaders in Singapore, with its promise “that no one is left behind”, the focus is mainly on the “urban centers”.
Meanwhile, at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Papua New Guinea Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned that the transition from old to new technology was causing disruptions that would make skilled and unskilled workers less important and irrelevant in the work force.
Half the world’s population are not connected to the internet and will not necessarily benefit from these digital innovations.
