Role of New Technologies in Economy of the 21st Century

Abstract

This article examines the impact of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) on the economy, society and human beings. Research of the World Economic Forum (WEF) allows to identify the key drivers of technological change, as well as to anticipate the main features of the new economic world. “Uberization” of economy is spreading rapidly into new markets services, including in Russia, and creates a “joint use economy”. In the near future Blockchain technologies will have a strong impact on the banking sector and will lead to a reduction in operating costs. The use of “Internet of things” (IoT) is growing rapidly especially in industry, energy and transport, as well as in the construction of “smart cities”. Within the framework of the project “National Technological Initiative” (NTI), the Russian government has identified the most promising markets and technologies that will allow Russian companies to be competitive in the long term of 10-20 years. In addition, the meta-council on new WEF technologies has published a report “Top 10 New Technologies 2016” in June this year, which lists the most important and promising technological trends of the future. The article describes the implications of new technologies, including the negative ones - unemployment, cybercrime and others.