The Fourth Industrial Revolution in the Croatian Context: Science Fiction or a New Developmental Paradigm?

Abstract

The article examines prospects of directing the development of
Croatian society towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution or
Industry 4.0. Relations among overlapping relevant concepts are
clarified in the first section. The following analysis comprises
results of the qualitative study based on 12 semi-structured
interviews with representatives of the entrepreneurial sector, state
officials and scientists closely connected with the development
and application of AI and robots. The findings suggest that
respondents advocate for fostering Industry 4.0 by recognising
its potential, but also identify obstacles regarding its
implementation. It is concluded that Industry 4.0 is most likely to
emerge as a "localised" process, as: 1) the smart specialisation
of specific technologically most advanced products; 2) a primarily regional phenomenon that will appear in the north-west
counties.