J. B. Straubel Says, "This Is the Energy System of the Electric Car": J. B. Straubel, co-founder of Tesla gives a keynote speech at the Kyunghyang Forum held under the title, "The Fourth Industrial Revolution: New Opportunities and New Challenges" at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul on June 28. Kim Gi-nam

On June 28, J. B. Straubel, co-founder and chief technical officer (CTO) at Tesla, a leader of electric cars and autonomous vehicles, said, "The age of petroleum, which spanned the past century, is over and a new economy will be born," and declared a major transition due to the fourth industrial revolution. DJ Patil, formerly the U.S. chief data scientist (CDS) at the White House, a position introduced for the first time in the Barack Obama administration, said, "Only the technology that puts people at the center will be recognized as a revolution for the future of mankind," and stressed a human-centered fourth industrial revolution.
The speakers at the Kyunghyang Forum held under the title, "The Fourth Industrial Revolution: New Opportunities and New Challenges" this day at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul said that we were facing a great transition with the fourth industrial revolution and emphasized that the key of innovation was people and education.
In his keynote speech, Straubel said, "Tesla is producing electricity with new renewable energy such as solar power and creating an energy system that does not emit any carbon dioxide." He argued, "Since we don't need to spend a lot of money, the consumption of fossil fuels will decrease at a rate faster than expected." Patil, who served as the chief data scientist at the White House said, "All people should be able to enjoy the benefits of technology," and stressed, "People should always come before data." Patil asked the people to take immediate action based on his experiences in the White House. He said, "We need to take the data out of the silo. The time to solve the problem is now."
The speakers also shared their concerns about the dark side of the fourth industrial revolution. Kayu Jin, a professor at the London School of Economics said, "Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), robots can replace people in jobs other than low-skilled jobs." She also argued, "The cause of increasing inequality throughout the world is not trade, but technology." Hiroshi Ishiguro, director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory at Osaka University said, "People remember and recognize me for the android I made. This means that the robot, not I, has an identity." Kim Dae-shik, a professor of electrical engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said, "When we look at the results created by artificial intelligence, it is now very difficult to technically distinguish between the original and the fake."
The speakers also emphasized the importance of education to overcome such problems. Kam Dong-gun, a professor of electrical engineering at Ajou University said, "Developing imagination, creativity, and the ability to ask questions is the key to education in the age of artificial intelligence," and Keyu Jin said, "We need to look at what is happening in education in general, rather than at the technological advancements." Kathryn Parsons, the founder of Decoded said, "We need to expand coding education to overcome digital illiteracy."
At the forum this day, Cheong Wa Dae Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Jun Byung-hun read a congratulatory message on behalf of President Moon Jae-in, who left for the summit in the U.S., and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon also delivered a congratulatory address on the topic, "A Fourth Industrial Revolution Centered on Man." Over five hundred figures from the political circle, government, academia, businesses and the financial sector attended this day's forum including Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the Minjoo Party of Korea; Chung Woo-taik, floor leader cum acting leader of the Liberty Korea Party; Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the Bareun Party; Do Jong-hwan, minister of culture, sports and tourism; Nam Kyung-pil, governor of Gyeonggi-do; Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education; Koo Ja-yeol, chairman of LS Group; and Lee Dong-gul, CEO of Korea Development Bank (KDB).