The Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) offers an array of master’s degree courses aimed at the digital business leaders and innovators of tomorrow. This includes the OPIT MSc in Digital Business and Innovation, the perfect course for those seeking to sharpen their skills and deepen their knowledge before moving into high-profile roles, such as digital business analysis or possibly launching their own firms.

Introducing the OPIT MSc in Digital Business and Innovation

The OPIT MSc in Digital Business and Innovation is a master’s degree program aimed at equipping ambitious students with the skills they need to thrive in the dynamic digital economy of the 21st century. Combining both practical skills and foundational knowledge over the course of three terms, it prepares graduates for prosperous professional lives and leading roles in digital business.

Like the other courses offered at OPIT, the MSc in Digital Business and Innovation is delivered exclusively online, allowing students to apply and enjoy the same high levels of instruction, no matter their location. Students can access an array of informative educational resources at any stage to study at a pace that best suits their needs, while also attending live lectures provided by tech leaders and specialists.

Once students complete the course, which culminates in a capstone project and dissertation, numerous professional doors will now be open to them. They’ll be fully equipped to launch their own digital brands or pursue careers in roles such as corporate innovation management, digital marketing management, or digital entrepreneurship.

The following bullet points provide a brief breakdown of what applicants can expect:

• Duration: Three or four terms, typically spread over the course of one year.
• Content: Advanced-level instruction on topics such as digital marketing, digital business foundations, entrepreneurship, digital product management, and the value of emerging technologies, such as AI, for innovation.
• Focus: Acquiring the relevant skills and hands-on knowledge to become a digital business leader, taking on leadership or management roles at digital organizations post-graduation.
• Format: Exclusively online, with a mixture of pre-recorded content (which you can access anytime) and scheduled live lectures.
• Assessment: A progressive system of assessment to measure your understanding over the course of the program, along with a final capstone project and dissertation, but no final exams.

What You’ll Learn

Students of the MSc in Digital Business and Innovation will have the opportunity to strengthen their knowledge of various digital business-oriented topics over the course of the program. The first term, for example, focuses on foundational knowledge of data science, AI, business models, and project management.

The second term moves on to explore digital business strategy, looking at topics like digital finance, entrepreneurship, and digital product management. Finally, the third term is all about executing the ideas gained up to that point, with students tasked with completing a capstone project and dissertation based on a real-world case study.

Throughout the program, students will enjoy learning from proven professionals, researchers, and tech experts such as Harvard Business Review Course Director Francesco Derchi and McGill University Lead Instructor Paco Awissi. OPIT’s instruction also prioritizes practical, hands-on knowledge, so everything you learn will have real-world value and relevance.

Who It’s For

The MSc in Digital Business and Innovation program is aimed at those who have already obtained a BSc in a relevant field, like graduates of OPIT’s own BSc in Digital Business. Its content is suitable for those with ambitions of becoming digital business leaders and can also appeal to experienced professionals looking to take the next step in their education or even pursue a career transition.

Numerous prestigious, high-salary roles will open up to graduates of this course, including digital business strategist, digital startup founder, digital intrapreneur, and digital transformation manager. What’s more, with OPIT’s world-leading networking opportunities, supportive faculty, and strong business connections, it’s remarkably straightforward to transition into your chosen career following graduation.

The Value of the MSc in Digital Business and Innovation Course at OPIT

OPIT is far from the only institution that offers an MSc in Digital Business and Innovation, but several elements make studying at OPIT a uniquely advantageous choice. These include:

• Online Education: The OPIT MSc in Digital Business and Innovation is delivered entirely online. This means that students from all over the globe are eligible to apply, with no physical or geographical barriers to realizing their educational dreams. It also means that studying with OPIT is simpler, more convenient, and more cost-effective than conventional studies, too.
• Hands-On Focus: Many conventional educational courses still dedicate large amounts of time or even entire terms to content that has little to no practical value in the real world. OPIT does things differently. All of its courses are designed with real-world value in mind, so everything you learn will be something you can take forward into your career to help you succeed.
• Strong Support: Students at OPIT never need to feel left out, behind, or alone. A helping hand is never far away, as you can always reach out to fellow members of the OPIT community, contact your professors, or partake in communal study groups, as and when you feel the need. OPIT also offers an AI chatbot for personalized study support and helpful events, like career fairs.

Entry Requirements and Fees

OPIT aims to make top-tier tech education accessible to all who are passionate about technology and eager to play their part in the ongoing evolution of the digital business world. As such, entry requirements – even for a master’s course such as this – are reasonably relaxed (although candidates should display some level of competency with the subject). Applicants don’t necessarily need to have extensive knowledge or experience in digital business.

Instead, they will simply need to ensure they meet the following criteria:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline
• Have English proficiency at level B2 or higher
• Be passionate about technology and willing to learn

OPIT also recognizes prior academic and professional achievements, such as relevant work experience or other master’s degrees you have already obtained. You may be able to use our credit transfer service to shorten your study time and obtain your MSc in Digital Business and Innovation even sooner.

Regarding fees, the entire course has a standard price of €6,750. You can pay the entire fee upfront or elect to pay a portion of the total cost on a term-by-term basis. Fees are all inclusive, so there are no hidden charges or extras to worry about, and OPIT offers scholarships and funding options to help you pay.

More business is being done online than ever before, and that upward trend is only set to continue in the years and generations to come. To get ahead of the game, many of the aspiring tech leaders of tomorrow are eager to master the art of digital business today, and the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) is the perfect place to start, offering a BSc in Digital Business degree.

Introducing the OPIT BSc in Digital Business

The OPIT BSc in Digital Business is a Bachelor’s degree program combining conventional business acumen with digital and technological fluency. Aimed at empowering students with the skills and knowledge they need to start or grow their own digital businesses, this course covers topics like digital marketing and entrepreneurship, along with core IT fundamentals, like programming and data science.

As with OPIT’s other degrees and programs, the BSc in Digital Business is provided entirely online, making it accessible to students all over the world. They enjoy unrestricted, round-the-clock access to various learning materials, including pre-recorded lectures, to help them study at their own pace, while also following a schedule of live lectures from world-leading researchers and tech specialists.

Upon completion of the course, graduates will find a whole array of career pathways open to them. They could move into roles in the fields of digital marketing or digital business consultancy, for instance, or pursue a career as an IT business analyst, e-commerce manager, or growth marketer. They may, alternatively, choose to proceed with additional studies, like a master’s degree with OPIT.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the main features of this BSc degree:

• Duration: Three years, with six terms of study in total.
• Content: Courses focused on the topics of digital business management and computer science, with the option to specialize in the fifth term. The sixth term revolves around a capstone project and dissertation, with internship opportunities also available for hands-on experience.
• Focus: Gaining practical knowledge and skills required to set up, run, manage, promote, and grow businesses online.
• Format: Entirely online, involving a combination of live lessons and asynchronous educational content, accessible at any time.
• Assessment: No final exams, with students instead having to complete a series of progressive assessments over the course of their studies, plus a final project and dissertation.

What You’ll Learn

Those enrolled in the BSc in Digital Business program at OPIT will learn the numerous skills they need to construct a successful career for themselves in this increasingly important sector. That includes foundational computer science skills related to web development and emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI), as well as business-oriented skills, like digital marketing and project management.

These mandatory topics are spread out over the first four terms. For the fifth term, students will continue to take some compulsory courses related to digital business, but also have the option to select their own electives. This gives them the chance to specialize in subjects that interest them most or align with their professional goals, like cybersecurity and advanced digital marketing.

No matter which electives you opt for, you’ll enjoy the unique benefits of learning under some of the world’s top academic leaders, like ESCP Europe Researcher Chloé Ipert or Harvard Business Review Course Director Francesco Derchi. Plus, with OPIT’s focus on hands-on learning, you won’t simply be tasked with reading books and memorizing facts, but learning practical skills to take into the real-world.

Who It’s For

The BSc in Digital Business program is a fine choice for a wide array of students. Recent high school graduates who understand and appreciate the rising importance of technology in the business world, for example, may be eager to enroll. So, too, will more mature, professional students seeking a career change, or tech specialists wanting to deepen their knowledge and strengthen their skill set.

Whether you have aspirations of working as a corporate innovation strategist, digital product specialist, or digital transformation consultant, this course can work for you. It also opens the doors to countless other career paths, many of which have high levels of demand and impressive salary expectations, as well, even for entry-level employees.

The Value of the BSc in Digital Business Course at OPIT

Tech enthusiasts have plenty of options to choose from when seeking higher education in digital business, but OPIT’s BSc stands out from the crowd for several key reasons.

Firstly, this is an exclusively online course. That immediately differentiates it from so many others. Instead of having to worry about relocation and travel to and from a faculty, or keeping up with a fixed schedule that might not necessarily suit your favored way of learning, OPIT gives you freedom and flexibility. Its approach is accessible to all, regardless of their location, and puts students in charge of their own learning.

OPIT also sets itself apart from other, more conventional educational institutions by putting the spotlight firmly on practical knowledge and skills. It’s about giving students the hands-on experiences and useful information they need to take into their careers and succeed, rather than concentrating on data that may not actually serve them in any significant way. This, in turn, makes it easier to make the sometimes challenging transition out of education and into the professional world.

All students at OPIT also benefit from the institute’s numerous supportive systems, an exciting events calendar, and an array of helpful tools. From mentorship programs to communal study groups, no student ever needs to feel alone, and help is only ever a click away. With the OPIT AI Copilot, you can get personalized support on-demand. Meanwhile, career fairs and other big dates on the calendar mean there’s always something to look forward to.

Entry Requirements and Fees

If you’re intrigued by the idea of the OPIT BSc in Digital Business, you’ll likely want to know what you need to do to apply. Fortunately, as part of its campaign to make tech education more accessible, OPIT doesn’t impose overly strict or specific entry criteria on its applicants. Almost anyone can apply, as all you need are:

• A willingness to learn and a passion for technology and digital business
• A higher secondary school leaving certificate (EQF Level 4 or higher)
• A B2 level English certificate (or higher)

OPIT also offers a credit transfer program, so if you’ve already undertaken relevant education elsewhere, or if you have appropriate work experience, you can use that to streamline your study experience. You may be able to skip certain courses in which you’re already proficient, for example, or even omit entire terms to obtain your degree sooner.

As far as fees are concerned, OPIT offers a variety of flexible options to suit those on different budgets. You can opt to pay for your BSc all in one go, if you prefer, and enjoy a discount in the process. Or you can pay on a term-by-term basis. There are also scholarships available, plus early bird discounts for those applying in advance.

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• Agenda Digitale, published on November 25th, 2025

In recent years, the word ” sustainability ” has become a firm fixture in the corporate lexicon. However, simply “doing no harm” is no longer enough: the climate crisis , social inequalities , and the erosion of natural resources require a change of pace. This is where the net-positive paradigm comes in , a model that isn’t content to simply reduce negative impacts, but aims to generate more social and environmental value than is consumed.

This isn’t about philanthropy, nor is it about reputational makeovers: net-positive is a strategic approach that intertwines economics, technology, and corporate culture. Within this framework, digitalization becomes an essential lever, capable of enabling regenerative models through circular platforms and exponential technologies.

Blockchain, AI, and IoT: The Technological Triad of Regeneration

Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things represent the technological triad that makes this paradigm shift possible. Each addresses a critical point in regeneration.

Blockchain guarantees the traceability of material flows and product life cycles, allowing a regenerated dress or a bottle collected at sea to tell their story in a transparent and verifiable way.

Artificial Intelligence optimizes recovery and redistribution chains, predicting supply and demand, reducing waste and improving the efficiency of circular processes .

Finally, IoT enables real-time monitoring, from sensors installed at recycling plants to sharing mobility platforms, returning granular data for quick, informed decisions.

These integrated technologies allow us to move beyond linear vision and enable systems in which value is continuously regenerated.

New business models: from product-as-a-service to incentive tokens

Digital regeneration is n’t limited to the technological dimension; it’s redefining business models. More and more companies are adopting product-as-a-service approaches , transforming goods into services: from technical clothing rentals to pay-per-use for industrial machinery. This approach reduces resource consumption and encourages modular design, designed for reuse.

At the same time, circular marketplaces create ecosystems where materials, components, and products find new life. No longer waste, but input for other production processes. The logic of scarcity is overturned in an economy of regenerated abundance.

To complete the picture, incentive tokens — digital tools that reward virtuous behavior, from collecting plastic from the sea to reusing used clothing — activate global communities and catalyze private capital for regeneration.

Measuring Impact: Integrated Metrics for Net-Positiveness

One of the main obstacles to the widespread adoption of net-positive models is the difficulty of measuring their impact. Traditional profit-focused accounting systems are not enough. They need to be combined with integrated metrics that combine ESG and ROI, such as impact-weighted accounting or innovative indicators like lifetime carbon savings.

In this way, companies can validate the scalability of their models and attract investors who are increasingly attentive to financial returns that go hand in hand with social and environmental returns.

Case studies: RePlanet Energy, RIFO, and Ogyre

Concrete examples demonstrate how the combination of circular platforms and exponential technologies can generate real value. RePlanet Energy has defined its Massive Transformative Purpose as “Enabling Regeneration” and is now providing sustainable energy to Nigerian schools and hospitals, thanks in part to transparent blockchain-based supply chains and the active contribution of employees. RIFO, a Tuscan circular fashion brand, regenerates textile waste into new clothing, supporting local artisans and promoting workplace inclusion, with transparency in the production process as a distinctive feature and driver of loyalty. Ogyre incentivizes fishermen to collect plastic during their fishing trips; the recovered material is digitally tracked and transformed into new products, while the global community participates through tokens and environmental compensation programs.

These cases demonstrate how regeneration and profitability are not contradictory, but can actually feed off each other, strengthening the competitiveness of businesses.

From Net Zero to Net Positive: The Role of Massive Transformative Purpose

The crucial point lies in the distinction between sustainability and regeneration. The former aims for net zero, that is, reducing the impact until it is completely neutralized. The latter goes further, aiming for a net positive, capable of giving back more than it consumes.

This shift in perspective requires a strong Massive Transformative Purpose: an inspiring and shared goal that guides strategic choices, preventing technology from becoming a sterile end. Without this level of intentionality, even the most advanced tools risk turning into gadgets with no impact.

Regenerating business also means regenerating skills to train a new generation of professionals capable not only of using technologies but also of directing them towards regenerative business models. From this perspective, training becomes the first step in a transformation that is simultaneously cultural, economic, and social.

The Regenerative Future: Technology, Skills, and Shared Value

Digital regeneration is not an abstract concept, but a concrete practice already being tested by companies in Europe and around the world. It’s an opportunity for businesses to redefine their role, moving from mere economic operators to drivers of net-positive value for society and the environment.

The combination of blockchain, AI, and IoT with circular product-as-a-service models, marketplaces, and incentive tokens can enable scalable and sustainable regenerative ecosystems. The future of business isn’t just measured in terms of margins, but in the ability to leave the world better than we found it.

• Agenda Digitale

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• Raconteur, published on November 06th, 2025

Many firms have conducted successful Artificial Intelligence (AI) pilot projects, but scaling them across departments and workflows remains a challenge. Inference costs, data silos, talent gaps and poor alignment with business strategy are just some of the issues that leave organisations trapped in pilot purgatory. This inability to scale successful experiments means AI’s potential for improving enterprise efficiency, decision-making and innovation isn’t fully realised. So what’s the solution?

Although it’s not a magic bullet, an AI operating model is really the foundation for scaling pilot projects up to enterprise-wide deployments. Essentially it’s a structured framework that defines how the organisation develops, deploys and governs AI. By bringing together infrastructure, data, people, and governance in a flexible and secure way, it ensures that AI delivers value at scale while remaining ethical and compliant.

“A successful AI proof-of-concept is like building a single race car that can go fast,” says Professor Yu Xiong, chair of business analytics at the UK-based Surrey Business School. “An efficient AI technology operations model, however, is the entire system – the processes, tools, and team structures – for continuously manufacturing, maintaining, and safely operating an entire fleet of cars.”

But while the importance of this framework is clear, how should enterprises establish and embed it?

“It begins with a clear strategy that defines objectives, desired outcomes, and measurable success criteria, such as model performance, bias detection, and regulatory compliance metrics,” says Professor Azadeh Haratiannezhadi, co-founder of generative AI company Taktify and professor of generative AI in cybersecurity at OPIT – the Open Institute of Technology.

Platforms, tools and MLOps pipelines that enable models to be deployed, monitored and scaled in a safe and efficient way are also essential in practical terms.

“Tools and infrastructure must also be selected with transparency, cost, and governance in mind,” says Efrain Ruh, continental chief technology officer for Europe at Digitate. “Crucially, organisations need to continuously monitor the evolving AI landscape and adapt their models to new capabilities and market offerings.”

• Raconteur

In April 2025, Professor Francesco Derchi from the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) and Chair of OPIT’s Digital Business programs entered the online classroom to talk about the current state of the Metaverse and what companies can do to engage with this technological shift. As an expert in digital marketing, he is well-placed to talk about how brands can leverage the Metaverse to further company goals.

Current State of the Metaverse

Francesco started by exploring what the Metaverse is and the rocky history of its development. Although many associate the term Metaverse with Mark Zuckerberg’s 2021 announcement of Meta’s pivot toward a virtual immersive experience co-created by users, the concept actually existed long before. In his 1992 novel Snow Crash, author Neal Stephenson described a very similar concept, with people using avatars to seamlessly step out of the real world and into a highly connected virtual world.

Zuckerberg’s announcement was not even the start of real Metaverse-like experiences. Released in 2003, Second Life is a virtual world in which multiple users come together and engage through avatars. Participation in Second Life peaked at about one million active users in 2007. Similarly, Minecraft, released in 2011, is a virtual world where users can explore and build, and it offers multiplayer options.

What set Zuckerberg’s vision apart from these earlier iterations is that he imagined a much broader virtual world, with almost limitless creation and interaction possibilities. However, this proved much more difficult in practice.

Both Meta and Microsoft started investing significantly in the Metaverse at around the same time, with Microsoft completing its acquisition of Activision Blizzard – a gaming company that creates virtual world games such as World of Warcraft – in 2023 and working with Epic Games to bring Fortnite to their Xbox cloud gaming platform.

But limited adoption of new Metaverse technology saw both Meta and Microsoft announce major layoffs and cutbacks on their Metaverse investments.

Open Garden Metaverse

One of the major issues for the big Metaverse vision is that it requires an open-garden Metaverse. Matthew Ball defined this kind of Metaverse in his 2022 book:

“A massively scaled and interoperable network of real-time rendered 3D virtual worlds that can be experienced synchronously and persistently by an effectively unlimited number of users with an individual sense of presence, and with continuity of data, such as identity, history, entitlements, objects, communication, and payments.”

This vision requires an open Metaverse, a virtual world beyond any single company’s walled garden that allows interaction across platforms. With the current technology and state of the market, this is believed to be at least 10 years away.

With that in mind, Zuckerberg and Meta have pivoted away from expanding their Metaverse towards delivering devices such as AI glasses with augmented reality capabilities and virtual reality headsets.

Nevertheless, the Metaverse is still expanding today, but within walled garden contexts. Francesco pointed to Pokémon Go and Roblox as examples of Metaverse-esque words with enormous engagement and popularity.

Brands Engaging with the Metaverse: Nike Case Study

What does that mean for brands? Should they ignore the Metaverse until it becomes a more realistic proposition, or should they be establishing their Meta presence now?

Francesco used Nike’s successful approach to Meta engagement to show how brands can leverage the Metaverse today.

He pointed out that this was a strategic move from Nike to protect their brand. As a cultural phenomenon, people will naturally bring their affinity with Nike into the virtual space with them. If Nike doesn’t constantly monitor that presence, they can lose control of it. Rather than see this as a threat, Nike identified it as an opportunity. As people engage more online, their virtual appearance can become even more important than their physical appearance. Therefore, there is a space for Nike to occupy in this virtual world as a cultural icon.

Nike chose an ad hoc approach, going to users where they are and providing experiences within popular existing platforms.

As more than 1.5 million people play Fortnite every day, Nike started there, first selling a variety of virtual shoes that users can buy to kit out their avatars.

Roblox similarly has around 380 million monthly active users, so Nike entered the space and created NIKELAND, a purpose-built virtual area that offers a unique brand experience in the virtual world. For example, during NBA All-Star Week, LeBron James visited NIKELAND, where he coached and engaged with players. During the FIFA World Cup, NIKELAND let users claim two free soccer jerseys to show support for their favorite teams. According to statistics published at the end of 2023, in less than two years, NIKELAND had more than 34.9 million visitors, with over 13.4 billion hours of engagement and $185 million in NFT (non-fungible tokens or unique digital assets) sales.

Final Thoughts

Francesco concluded by discussing that while Nike has been successful in the Metaverse, this is not necessarily a success that will be simple for smaller brands to replicate. Nike was successful in the virtual world because they are a cultural phenomenon, and the Metaverse is a combination of technology and culture.

Therefore, brands today must decide how to engage with the current state of the Metaverse and prepare for its potential future expansion. Because existing Metaverses are walled gardens, brands also need to decide which Metaverses warrant investment or whether it is worth creating their own dedicated platforms. This all comes down to an appetite for risk.

Facing these types of challenges comes down to understanding the business potential of new technologies and making decisions based on risk and opportunity. OPIT’s BSc in Digital Business and MSc in Digital Business and Innovation help develop these skills, with Francesco also serving as program chair.

In April 2025, the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) invited Professor Andrea Gozzi, Head of Strategy at Partnership for the Digital Industries Ecosystem at Siemens, Italy, to talk about how new technologies are transforming industry.

Industry Is Driving Technological Innovation

According to Gozzi, who teaches in the OPIT BSc in Digital Business and MSc in Digital Business and Innovation programs, many of the young people he meets imagine that the development of technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) is being led by digital companies like Amazon and Apple. But, he adds, they haven’t really considered how industry is utilizing and leading in these fields.

Industry includes markets such as energy, aviation, and manufacturing. Gozzi explains how new technologies are transforming these industries and, in turn, how these industries are pioneering new technologies. As a result, industry represents a growing job market, especially for OPIT graduates.

Challenges to Industry

Gozzi started his discussion by explaining the modern challenges facing the industry today and how these challenges necessitate innovation. He identified three principal challenges:

• Geopolitical instability events like the war in Ukraine and changing tariffs are undermining supply lines, complicating contracts, and making sales unpredictable.
• Labor shortages are being caused by changing demographics and changing culture. Gozzi explained that in the past, people worked for one company for their entire lives, learning specialist skills and adding value throughout their working lives. Today, people tend to change jobs several times throughout their working lives, so to maximize their value, they need to be brought up to speed quicker, and companies need strategies to retain knowledge despite labor churn.
• Sustainability pressures are on the rise both in terms of meeting green regulations and ensuring that expensive factories provide a long-term return on investment.

To adapt to these challenges, industry is looking to develop innovative technological solutions.

Opportunities: AI, Digital Twins, Industrial IoT, and Robotics

Having set the scene, Gozzi dove into the types of technologies that industry is pioneering to adapt to challenge, and how they are pushing these technologies beyond their mainstream potential.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Gozzi explained how AI promises to be an industry game changer, especially in the quest to go from automated to adaptive manufacturing. Automated manufacturing can create products based on existing programming, recreating the same product perfectly every time while eliminating human error.

But the goal is to create machines that don’t just create one thing but can create anything, adapting as designs change. Adaptive manufacturing is one of the core goals of Industry 4.0, which is the next Industrial Revolution that is seeing automated, interconnected factories. Gozzi shared a compelling example of applications by Rolls-Royce for airplane engine production.

AI powers machines to handle more complex tasks independently, which requires them to be networked and connected. As a result, factories can collect data from every area and use it to optimize supply chains and resource allocation. This enables predictive maintenance, reducing downtime by around 50%, and scheduling activity, reducing yield losses by around 40%. Since factories represent major investments, maximizing productivity is essential to achieving a strong return on investment (ROI).

This same data is increasingly being used to iterate and test prototypes in the digital twin environment.

Digital Twins

According to Gozzi, today’s factories are created with intelligent interconnected machines that are adaptable and extendable and can provide strategic insights. The entire manufacturing system is connected by silent threads of information that can turn siloed data into a much larger picture.

These threads form the neural network of digital twins, which are virtual replicas of physical systems that can be used to monitor and optimize operations, simulate actions before execution, and accelerate innovation. New production techniques and designs can be tested virtually before being tested in the real world, allowing processes to be optimized for quality and efficiency. Here, Gozzi shared a compelling example from Siemens’ accelerator ecosystem which creates replicas of factories in the metaverse.

IIoT and Robotics

In the factories themselves, manufacturers rely on advanced robotics connected by the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to carry out tasks independently. IIoT ensures that a centralized intelligence integrates every element of production in real-time. This not only allows robots to do their jobs but also ensures that issues can be identified and solutions executed through the digital twin. The digital twin can also be used to teach robots new tasks tested and piloted virtually in the digital twin.

Meanwhile, robots must be mobile, AI-driven, and integrated into the factory’s ecosystem. It is AI that has enabled robots to become aware of their environment, enabling new behaviors such as picking pieces from a non-uniform set and placing them where they are required. This may seem small, but it is something that robots have never been able to do and represents one of the biggest recent breakthroughs in manufacturing.

AI is also enabling robots to safely work alongside human workers in manufacturing settings. These collaborative robots, called “cobots,” are another recent development that promises to be transformative.

Cybersecurity

Gozzi explained that all this requires advanced connectivity and a closed network with a “zero trust” architecture to mitigate security threats. Hackers, viruses, and other network failures don’t just represent the potential loss of valuable and confidential data, but also a major safety risk if cobots are interfered with and begin to act unsafely.

Powerful and secure industrial closed networks are being enabled by 5G, but these networks still need to be monitored by cybersecurity continuously in real-time.

The Future of Industry

Industry is modernizing quickly, and technology is playing an increasingly important role. This is manifesting in the development of smart adaptive factories using a mix of AI, advanced robotics, and digital twins. Industrial IoT, strong connected networks, and advanced cybersecurity support this. The demand for talent that understands these technologies and their applications will only increase in the coming years.

Moreover, Gozzi reassures students that there is no question that technology will replace real people in some positions. Humans will still be needed to collaborate and work side by side with robots. This will require people to learn new skills, in particular, a data-driven mindset and approach to problem-solving.

Both OPIT’s BSc in Digital Business and MSc in Digital Business and Innovation are designed to prepare students for these kinds of careers.

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• Il Sole 24 Ore, published on April 14th, 2025

Expert Pierluigi Casale analyzes the adoption of AI by companies, the ethical and regulatory challenges and the differentiated approach between large companies and SMEs

By Gianni Rusconi

• Il Sole 24 Ore

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• CCN, published on March 29th, 2025

By Kurt Robson

• CCN