Web 4.0: The Internet of Things and AI

Web 4.0 comes after Web 3.0, Web 2.0 en Web 1.0. What does it mean and what can we expect from it? The new web 4.0 has the following characteristics:

• Web 4.0 is known as the symbiotic web. The goal of the symbiotic web is the symbiotic interaction between man and machine. The boundary between man and machine will fade.
• This web environment must therefore be an "always on" connected world. Users can meet each other on the web.
• The new web is a Web OS - the whole web is a single operating system where information flows from each point to another system.
• In the background, self-learning systems are learning to understand you using artificial intelligence.
• It communicates with users in the same way that people communicate with each other.
• Web 4.0 is an open, linked and intelligent web.
• The speed and reliability of Web 4.0 are greater than ever.

The requirements for Web 4.0 are ubiquity, identity and connection. There is no real definition for the new web yet.

The internet of business

The use of RFIDs is already common in many industries and is constantly being expanded. RFID tags (radio frequency identification) are used, for example, in supply chain systems, car assembly and agriculture. A sector that will completely change thanks to Web 4.0 is retail shopping. By developing 3D browsers you will virtually go to showrooms and shops to find products that you like. If you decide on a purchase, your personal assistant will warn you if the same item on another site is cheaper. Web 4.0 will completely change the customer experience because you as a customer get full control.

Mergers

Companies will be able to make links with other companies using Web 4.0. This way they can offer new services at a lower price. This will lead to unexpected mergers between very different companies which, however, have mutual benefit from the merger. Web 4.0 makes it easy for different types of companies to share information and combine services.

Office buildings

Web 4.0 also makes its appearance in the office building. Buildings usually have 20-30 environmental systems, such as for lighting and water. Web 4.0 is literally the "Internet of Things"In an office building, because every device has an IP address. The first "intelligent buildings" such as the Edge in Amsterdam have already been developed. These buildings have an IP platform in which all building systems are integrated with the aid of the web. Sensors are connected to the systems and are able to detect changes. The building systems can respond automatically and act proactively.

Web 4.0 is the internet of people

When Web 4.0 becomes an adult, it will create new symbiotic relationships between man and machine. The rise of Web 4.0 human-machine connectivity has already begun. Alarm systems and cable companies are two different providers, but they work to your advantage. Consumers therefore have access to low-cost security solutions using existing broadband connections and cheap web cameras.

AI agents

Within Web 4.0 the symbiotic relationship extends further by acting as an agent on behalf of the user. Through the use of face recognition, an electronic agent will recognize users by voice via an internet connected device. The electronic agent is constantly available. Ask the agent a question and she will answer. She feels the need of the user. This is only possible thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI). Self-learning systems get to know you better and quickly know what you mean.

There are already applications in our daily lives. Think of Siri from Apple or if you create an account with YouTube or Amazon, recommendations for videos and books will appear based on previous searches.

The internet of everyday life

Smart devices will be connected to the internet and be able to perform tasks without human intervention. By using RFID, for example, your refrigerator can detect that it is almost empty and orders milk from the supermarket.

The use of RFID tags will increase enormously in Web 4.0. RFIDs are part of a living and connected web. All content is connected to the internet. Imagine that all food products have been tagged in the supermarket. So you can just walk out of the store with your shopping cart. The settlement takes place automatically. Web 4.0 also takes over the inventory management of the supermarket, it predicts the sale of products. As a result, supermarkets can also reduce the amount of wasted food, such as perishable goods such as fruit and vegetables. Someone who comes to the supermarket and is connected to the internet can be notified to pick up something that the system has ordered for him.

Virtual Reality

Another basic feature of Web 4.0 is Virtual Reality in daily life. You can, for example, use Google to search for lost items, such as car keys or a mobile phone.

With the integration of Web 4.0 into everyday life, Booking.com will unleash a travel revolution. Booking will include mash-ups with navigation, stories and coordinates integrated with Google Maps. One of the most innovative features is the integration of social media in travel apps. Apps can reroute your route to meet an old friend. A person who takes a day off can choose not to run into his boss.

The internet of medicine

The technology for biomedical chip implants is currently in its infancy. These implants will alleviate many complaints of diseases. Web 4.0 plays an important role here. For example, there are blind people whose eyesight has been partially restored after an operation where implants were placed in the eyes. Biomedical chip implants bridge the gap between man and machine, allowing the machine to communicate with the brain and restore the functions that were previously lost. Seriously disabled people can communicate again because they can control the cursor on a computer screen or type on a virtual keyboard by means of an implant.

Web 4.0 conclusions

Since 1989 the internet from read-only sites to the current, semantic web of 3.0 has evolved. The web will eventually lead to an intelligently linked Web. Web 4.0 offers connections between people and machines to create interactive data for a new, symbiotic internet.

The permanent connectivity in Web 4.0 will have a major impact on everyday life. The use of new techniques in everyday activities will result in a symbiosis between people and machines. Big data will increasingly be applied in virtual reality. The introduction of RFID tags will not only enable connections between man and machine, but also connections between machines. These devices and applications will sense the needs of their users thanks to AI.

The future of the internet

• Web 4.0 will change both business and medical sectors. RFID tags are added to products to improve customer experience.
• Web 4.0 is controlled by the consumer and gives the consumer complete control.
• The symbiotic web supports the development of 'intelligent buildings'. The connection between building and machine can meet the needs of the users.
• The medical field will change significantly. Medicine will eventually make the link between man and machine possible, giving patients the ability to heal with the help of symbiotic systems.

The new web will cause a revolution in the daily lives of people. By creating connections between man and machine, Web 4.0 offers unique connections that will enrich social and personal life. This open, linked and intelligent platform is the future of the internet.