As of January 2023, there are 5 billion users of the internet. People who use technology and want to know about it—in simple language, without jargon. Many of those nurture dreams and aspirations to be quicker, smarter and ‘be the change.’ We bring to them relatable stories of everyday users, understood by consumers and gadget freaks alike.

We start with the Internet of Things (IoT) and show how consumers are using smart devices that teach them to manage their homes, travel and lifestyle through their smartphones. We see how cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) are enabling them to give feedback to IoT devices, and extracting multiple services from household products like the humble LED light, or the refrigerator, or sophisticated jet engines, or combined harvesters. As devices turn smart and AI and robots enter our workspace they run the risk of being hacked. So techies developed the Blockchain, with encrypted text that would secure digital assets. But with it arrived cryptocurrencies that threaten to bring unprecedented speculation, money laundering and cyber crimes.

We also explore new opportunities in telehealth, distant education and metaworld, and the strides made in digital transformation that has, in less than five years, empowered over 2 billion people across the world, giving them access to cost effective banking, education, travel, energy, food and health services. But the same technologies are used to fight wars and disrupt supply chains that cause acute distress and worldwide recessions. The book is relevant because the changes happening now are not incremental but tectonic. This opens the door to a future that is more fascinating and threatening than fiction. Read on to find out more.