Industry 4.0: Are we Robots?

Internet, social media, digital transformation, Internet of Things (IoT), smart technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly part of people's lives. Some of these have made our interaction with machines more effective and information more natural and more powerful. Others have helped companies tap into consumers' relationships, behaviors and innermost thoughts in powerful and often disturbing ways. In addition, automation and robotics provide the muscle for Industry 4.0. Beside the several positive aspects of using these new technologies the challenge is to reliably collect data concerning human knowledge, competences, attitudes and emotions towards the demands of Industry 4.0 as well as the possible intentions attributed to it. Companies are now facing the challenge of integrating AI and robots into their workforce by encouraging employees to work with their "robotic teammates". Only a few studies have examined attitudes towards these new technologies or dealt with the assumptions in service providers, factories and manufacturing contexts. The current research identifies essential features and characteristics that have the potential to increase the acceptance of these networked cyber-physical systems and reduce prejudices. The study summarizes the first part of a major research project that aims to reveal the attitude and perception of company leaders towards digital transformation and Industry 4.0. The research is based on qualitative interviews with Hungarian company leaders. The main findings show that there is a great amount of uncertainty towards the upcoming changes in the world of work and a bit of anxiety as well, but as the change unfolds, the companies get more and more confident and willing to apply the new technologies.