New technologies: how digital transformation develops
11 March 2025Digital transformation is one of the most evident phenomena of recent decades and is affecting every area of daily life, from the new professional roles it has created to ways of working (smart, online), and even the most common social interactions.
The growth of emerging technologies is driving this change, creating extraordinary opportunities for businesses and professionals. Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain have become key tools.
What are Emerging Technologies?
Emerging technologies refer to all those innovations that are still being developed or spreading to sectors different from their original one. First and foremost is artificial intelligence (AI): systems capable of learning, analyzing, and making decisions autonomously. AI is transforming the world of business, healthcare, automation, and telecommunications, creating new market scenarios and professions.
The Internet of Things (IoT), on the other hand, involves communication between devices: it includes physical devices connected to the internet that can collect and exchange data with one another. From household appliances in smart homes to complex industrial machinery, communication between “things,” machines and devices, is now among the technologies capable of opening continuously evolving scenarios.
Blockchain is a decentralized and secure recording technology that allows the exchange of digital information without the need for a central third party. It is widely known for its use in cryptocurrencies but has much broader applications, such as in smart contracts (a rapidly developing sector, for example, in insurance) and supply chains.
How Do Emerging Technologies Work and How Are They Used?
The adoption of new technologies depends largely on the sector in which they are implemented: they are not just tools for use but new applications capable of changing the operating methods of a company, or even an entire system.
AI, based on machine learning and deep learning algorithms, is used in many different areas: in customer services, for example, with chatbots to answer common questions and resolve problems. In healthcare, AI helps diagnose diseases by analyzing large amounts of clinical data. In industrial automation, AI systems optimize production, reducing errors and increasing efficiency.
The Internet of Things, thanks to the collection of environmental data communicated to AI, is the new frontier of home automation but also makes a difference in the industrial context, where sensors and smart devices monitor machinery performance, preventing breakdowns and optimizing production processes.
Blockchain, a data structure composed of “blocks” of encrypted information linked together, each containing a series of transactions, is applied in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but also in business contexts for supply chain management, ensuring traceability and transparency. In sectors like finance, it enables faster and more secure transactions, eliminating traditional intermediaries.
What Impact Do These Technologies Have?
The adoption of emerging technologies has a significant global impact, both socially and economically, as well as environmentally. First of all, these technologies help create new business opportunities: artificial intelligence, for example, allows companies to reduce operational costs and improve service quality. IoT helps optimize resources, reducing waste and increasing efficiency. Blockchain, thanks to its security and transparency, is revolutionizing how financial transactions and commercial exchanges are managed.
But emerging technologies also have a social impact: they improve the quality of everyday life. AI is creating applications that range from personalized healthcare to optimized smart city management. IoT, with its connected devices, contributes to improving home comfort and security, while blockchain is enabling greater inclusivity in the financial sector, allowing access to secure banking systems even for those without a traditional bank.
Finally, the environmental impact: AI is being used in the efficient management of natural resources, such as energy, reducing consumption and emissions. IoT helps monitor and optimize the use of water and electricity in real-time, reducing waste. Blockchain, due to its transparency, is also being used to track the environmental impact of supply chains, promoting more sustainable practices.
Emerging technologies are driving digital transformation at a dizzying pace, influencing all aspects of our daily lives. Artificial intelligence, IoT, and blockchain are at the core of this evolution, changing the way we work, interact, and live day by day.
The market is increasingly demanding new professional figures capable of managing this technological change, not only in the most technical aspects but also in managerial ones: there is a need for professionals who can integrate technological systems within companies and use them to develop new potentials.
High-level training is essential in this sector, and Bologna Business School is one of the schools that bases its knowledge on innovation, always practical and based on learning by doing, offering concrete, immediately applicable skills in the market.
The Professional Master in Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Management, a full-time 12-month program in English, sponsored by Lab Cini, a reference point for academic research in the IT sector, is a training path that, also thanks to its connection with CINECA, an inter-university consortium and home to the Leonardo supercomputer, targets young graduates wishing to become professionals capable of managing innovations.
The Executive Master in Technology and Innovation Management (EMTIM), a part-time weekend 12-month program in Italian, aims to train professionals capable of managing technological innovation, dealing with both technical and managerial issues.
The Executive Master in Artificial Intelligence for Business, a 12-month part-time hybrid program in English, is designed for professionals who want to acquire a solid set of skills focused on leveraging the potential of artificial intelligence in the business context.
Alongside the more traditional and innovative Masters (whether MBA, Professional, or Executive), BBS offers vertical courses focused on a specific theme.
The Open Program in Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI, part-time on campus in Italian, lasting 5 days, is designed to provide an in-depth and practical understanding of how generative AI can be integrated into business processes to improve productivity and accelerate innovation.
The Open Program in Technology & Innovation Management, part-time on campus in Italian, lasting 8 days, focuses on acquiring the necessary skills to address strategic, organizational, and operational issues related to innovation with a systemic approach.
Artificial intelligence, IoT, and blockchain are changing the world and the global market. Bologna Business School, integrated into a network that makes internationalism and local excellence its strength, is the best gateway to the world of technology management. It is the key to opening doors to a successful career.
