Smart Technologies and New Business Models: Insights from Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain

Among the several smart technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain are considered among the most disruptive ones that have appeared in recent decades (Sousa et al., 2021; Sousa & de Bem Machado, 2020). More in details, AI is the technology that is supposed to lead the most significant changes in the business world with a potential contribution of $15 trillion to the world economy by 2030 (Panetta, 2018). Fifty-nine percent of companies have not yet formulated real AI strategies, but the remaining ones are already advanced in experimenting and adopting this technology in several business fields (Panetta, 2018). AI thus stands as a crucial factor for the transformation and reconfiguration of companies’ operational and organizational models, but also, above all, of their business models (Campos de Mendon ç a & Valente de Andrade, 2018). AI will trigger the digital disruption of all sectors, making algorithmic business models dominate. Transformations of a similar impact are considered to be those conveyed by the Blockchain.