Impact of digitalisation on increasing the fragility of the system (on the example of ‘Digital Road’ project)

Today, digitalisation is seen as a tool that can significantly improve the efficiency of all production processes. In fact, digitalisation has led to some impressive successes, but it has also brought with it some qualitatively new risks. The article aims to examine the impact of digitalisation on the fragility of social and technical systems, using freight transport as an example. The development of ‘Digital Road’ is expected to radically improve the freight transport service system. However, with the advent of remote process control technologies, the main customers of transport services – the mining and manufacturing industries – could see radical changes in the transport system. According to the author, routine and repetitive types of activities are most suitable for digitalisation while innovation and uncertainty hinder it. The maximum level of uncertainty is associated with social and natural factors that set the upper limit for the process of digitalisation of production activities. Experience with the use of digital tools in various fields suggests that the consequence of this process is uniformity, increased monopolisation of markets, reduced diversity and the dominance of a single technological solution for typical situations. This reduces the technological adaptability of the production system and increases its vulnerability to social and natural risks. The article suggests that fragility in the transport sector could be halted by using a variety of transport services that would be in demand after mining and manufacturing industries move to fully unmanned and remote-controlled technologies.