Philosophy

Industry Commons is built on these foundational beliefs:

That social, ecological and cultural impact is key to industry growth and economic sustainability.

That radical and disruptive, rather than incremental innovation is required to solve grand societal challenges.

That the current industrial technological environment already has the characteristics and affordances that create the conditions for disruptive innovation.

That it is possible to build disruptive innovation on top of existing industry capabilities.

That new and increasingly ubiquitous components and manufacturing technologies such as embedded-ware, automation, blockchain, robotics and AI provide a technological framework and platform for innovation in the production value chain.

That tangible user interfaces (TUIs) will drive the factories of the future.

That distributed digital manufacturing will open up a wealth of possibility in customisation and instantaneous physical distribution.

That these technologies are not sector-specific: their agnostic nature creates enormous potential for cross-sector collaboration, the opportunity to create hybrid products, processes and services, and this will lead to the creation of entirely new and lucrative markets in the junction between verticals.

That the technologies themselves are often incredibly complex, requiring deep specialist knowledge that creates a significant barrier to entry for those who might wish to experiment or explore new ideas emerging from the new affordances.

That there are significant roadblocks preventing industry from participating in collaborative and cross-sector experimentation that will require a series of interventions and smart legal frameworks that can maximise the opportunity for industry and for innovator communities while mitigating any risks that would ordinarily prevent industry from taking the leap (including IPR ownership but also information flow, feedback and market intelligence).

That Industry’s interaction with media is no longer a one-way marketing channel, but both the widespread adoption of social media and the two-way data feedback loop provided by connected products and services feed demand for novel and customised products.

That the culture of work needs to develop simultaneously to advancements in technology and that cultivating culture and creativity helps to evolve the ethos & methodologies for collaborative interaction – including AI ethics, privacy and security data management, rights and IP / copyright, social issues and social order.

That new tools enable new cultures, novel products develop a culture of use, and new cultures open new markets.

That the nature of those cultures can be arrived at deliberately, taking account of diversity, inclusion and gender equality in order to cater for the widest possible market base.

That innovator communities of early adopters and makers who operate close to new markets are best placed to identify those possibilities and create the experimental new products, processes and services that can provide enormous rewards for industry, culture and society.

That creative innovators and entrepreneurs’ proximity to new markets makes them ideal early adopters and influencers.

That innovation can be decentralised and amplified through education and upskilling of a workforce that can leverage the intellectual and skills capital of different regions.