1. Introduction

This chapter provides a brief overview of the main topics of the book. Technology is arguably the most important driving force in today’s world. Recent progress in the digitalization of everyday objects is removing constraints and enabling new possibilities that affect humans’ lives, enterprises, businesses, mobility, and much more. The technological progress has always had a big impact but has accelerated in recent years. The past decade has witnessed remarkable advances in digital technologies that have far surpassed the decade of personal computers through cutting-edge innovations, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Open Artificial Intelligence Technologies (OAIT) like Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL), as well as Big Data Analytics (BDA), Cloud Computing (CC), and others. These technology advances are fast and breathtaking with regard to the ways they are affecting and changing humans’ lives and work as well as companies’ business models. The companies that use digital technologies achieve significantly higher levels of profit, productivity, and performance through smarter decisionmaking, elimination of inefficiencies, and a better understanding of their customers (Westerman et al. 2014).