Disruption shakes the Nordic agreement model

The Danish government sees ten new digital opportunities:

1. The internet of things – machines, units etc. able to communicate with each other and automatically exchange data. A fridge can for instance order milk to be delivered in the afternoon if it registered that the last litre disappeared at breakfast.
2. Artificial intelligence and machine learning – often used in relation with machines that are able to ‘learn’. This is an area still developing, but one which offers wide-ranging opportunities and involves solving non-routine tasks, e.g. translation of languages and the recognition of hidden and complicated patterns and connections in data.
3. Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality – technology joining computer generated images with images from the real world, or digital “glasses” which allow the user to feel like she is in a different, virtual room. Can be used in the entertainment industry, for repairing machines or in construction, where an engineer can walk around inside a virtual model of new houses to look for faults in the construction.
4. Quantum computers – still being developed. These will have huge computing power and the ability to deal with very complicated algorithms, which can improve things like encryption.
5. Intelligent robots – can carry out increasingly complicated tasks in industry production very precisely, including movements instructed by sensors. Intelligent robots have been used in industry for many years. Korea, Japan and Germany have the highest number of industry robots per employee. Denmark is number five in the world, which is high up considering the country has no automotive industry.
6. 3D-printing – creating a three-dimensional object using software. Not widely used in Denmark yet. In future it could allow private individuals to print products they have bought online. It could also considerably reduce production costs in certain areas.
7. Self-driving cars – could lead to full automation of driving. Today cars are being equipped with semi-automatic software, while fully automatic cars are still only in trial. Could lead to safer traffic, better use of road capacity and faster transport.
8. Cloud computing (“the cloud”) – used to increase computing or data power. Is being used by 42 percent of Danish companies. Cloud computing can provide far more flexible and scalable computer capacity for companies, which often buy computing power through monthly subscriptions.
9. Block-chain – a joint digital trust, communication and sharing platform which is a kind of advanced database. Block-chain technology includes digital currencies like bitcoin. Could be used in future for money transfers for people in countries where there is little access to bank accounts, for instance.
10. Big data analysis – dealing with large amounts of data from built-in sensors in various products, geolocation, social media and other online behaviour etc.

Source: The booklet ‘Forwards into the future’ published by the Danish government in May 2017 (in Danish)