I'd like to start by thanking the committee for their interest in industry 4.0 and their work in this inquiry. It's something that I would have certainly loved to have contributed towards.

We're in the midst of a significant transformation regarding the way we produce products and that's thanks to the digitalisation of manufacturing. We should always remain focused on viewing the next industrial revolution as an opportunity and not a challenge. That doesn't mean pretending that there won't be challenges, because there certainly will be, but we should always remain ambitious about the future and what we can do to turn those risks into rewards, so from being able to identify opportunities to optimising logistics and supply chains, autonomous equipment and vehicles, robots, the internet of things, and the cloud. Now, as an engineer, I'm particularly excited about the potential for all sectors of our economy, and we can make that a reality if we get the investment right, and that's from infrastructure to education, lifelong learning, apprenticeships and continued professional development. Putting industry at the heart of our curriculum and taking seriously investment such as digital connectivity is crucial.

My constituency in Alyn and Deeside could be the hardest hit by manufacturing job losses. So, in the spirit of turning risk into rewards, we must act. This isn't an issue confined to the corners of north-east Wales or just Cardiff, it affects all of us, but it also can benefit us too. We should be planning to create tech hubs in the west of Wales, working on digital skills for programming, coding and development purposes. In the north-east of Wales, building on our world-class record of being home to some of the world's best manufacturing companies, with the right investment in digital infrastructure, we could enhance our capabilities by combining robots and our skilled workforce and allowing them to co-evolve. In other parts of Wales, we should redouble our efforts to attract global companies to invest in the autonomous vehicle market. This is something we should not be afraid of, and in rural Wales, as Lee rightly mentions, we should look at how AI and automation can further benefit our rural workers and farms. 

Working terms and conditions, along with pay, are also concerns I know many workers have as we go through this period of change. But the question of how technological developments have impacted the core nature of our work is nothing new. It's an age-old question and it stretches back to the first industrial revolution. So, let's be bold, let's look at options like the universal basic income as a supplementary solution, let's look at how communities as a whole can benefit from the time that workers save through automation, making workers part of our communities again. I also believe that the Welsh Government should be looking closer at how it approaches and plans and responds to the fourth industrial revolution. Perhaps they should have a designated Minister complemented by a working group committee made up of experts from around the globe. This isn't a revolution that we can plan 10 years in advance for. This revolution is already here and we need to act urgently to adapt and to benefit.

Today, Llywydd, I'm wearing a recently purchased Apple watch. Its new features allow you to see more and do more just at a simple glance—I can see Lesley smiling at me now. Its assembly is 30 per cent smaller yet it contains 21 per cent more components, and at the heart of the watch there is an optical heart sensor that also allows you to quickly check your heart rate. It can detect if your heart rate falls below a threshold for a period of 10 minutes when you appear to be inactive, and that triggers a notification. That's healthcare automation before our very eyes. But we certainly need to do more and monitor the rate of change here in Wales of healthcare automation. The watch has been fundamentally redesigned and re-engineered to help you stay even more active, healthy and connected, and that must be the ultimate goal of this Welsh Government. Throughout this twenty-first century industrial revolution, we should fundamentally redesign and re-engineer policy to help people from across Wales. 

Just finally, Llywydd, I'd like to thank again the committee for this work. It's a great report and a great achievement. Really well done to all the Members who've contributed. Diolch.