The World Economic Forum describes the Fourth Industrial Revolution in this way,

We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before…The speed of current breakthroughs has no historical precedent. When compared with previous industrial revolutions, the Fourth is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace. Moreover, it is disrupting almost every industry in every country. And the breadth and depth of these changes herald the transformation of entire systems of production, management, and governance.

The accounting industry is entering uncharted territory – a 4th Industrial Revolution, marked by new technologies, rapid, even exponential change, and a fundamental shift in what it means to bring value to our clients and organizations. CPAs are more important than ever… But only if we embrace change.

Yet, we have successfully adapted to the prior seismic changes of past industrial revolutions since our beginning with the Second Industrial Revolution in 1900. Despite the size, speed, scope and scale of these changes, we believe the power of our network and our unique ability to collaborate and harness the ‘wisdom of the crowd’ will allow us to thrive in this new era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Maryland Association of CPAs is leading the profession into this new era, and together, we are associated to make change.