INGENIEUR
Emerging
Technologies
T
he penetration of emerging technologies
of the 4th Industrial Revolution, including
Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of
Things (IoT) and blockchain in Malaysia, will see
an acceleration in 2019. It is a revolution that is
fundamentally changing the way people live, work
and relate to one another. It is characterised by
a range of new technologies that are fusing the
physical, digital and biological worlds impacting
all disciplines, economies and industries; even
challenging ideas about what it means to be
human.
AI, in particular, is on the brink of revolutionising
various industries and the way we live our lives.
The greatest contribution to the GDP from AI
could be in retail, the public sector including
healthcare, education and the manufacturing
sector. AI applications in smart cities, agriculture,
construction and manufacturing are covered in the
articles published here. However, many businesses
are only at the beginning of AI implementation for
their organisations, and there is an approximately
50% gap between public readiness and business
readiness and adoption.
AI is poised to be the 4th industrial revolution,
and Malaysia has even announced an upcoming
national AI framework. Some of the existing
startups in Malaysia already offer some promising
propositions—a system that can automatically
detect emotions, one that can predict the onset
of dengue, and one that can identify credit card
fraud, among others.
Even though Blockchain has made great
strides, and organisations have long since stopped
associating it mainly with cryptocurrencies,
experts say that there is the potential for greater
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VOL
2019
VOL 77
55 JANUARY–MARCH
JUNE 2013
adoption across sectors. Today blockchain has
minimal penetration across the world. Until all five
attributes of security, efficiency, confidentiality,
scalability and interoperability are made available,
blockchain implementation will not become
widespread.
In the world of rapid digital interaction, IoT gives
insights on how consumers integrate technology
in their daily lives, providing valuable information
that can be used in various ways. The growing
need for internet-related products and services
is driving this transition, not only globally but also
here in Malaysia.
In 2015, the Ministry of Science, Innovation
& Technology Malaysia launched the National
IoT Strategic Roadmap, which forecasted
opportunities to reach RM9.5 billion in 2020 and
RM42.5 billion in 2025. This is all done to create
a national ecosystem to make IoT a new source
of economic growth with its industrialisation and
proliferation of use.
Due to the increasing global demand in the
use of technology as the means for achieving
efficiency and sustainability, it is crucial that the
construction industry continuously explores and
utilises advanced technology in all project cycles,
i.e. planning, design, execution, control and
monitoring. This is where the role of Professional
Engineers comes in. To this end, they should
keep abreast with the latest technologies and
their applications. BEM has always stressed
on Continuing Professional Development for
engineers.
Dato’ Sri Ir. Dr Roslan bin Md Taha
President BEM