Introduction: “disruptive…” or (just) “emerging” technologies?

When we talk about “disruptive technologies”, what exactly do we mean? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a disruptive technology is a new technology that completely changes the way things are done. Even though we cannot be certain which technologies will accomplish this in the future, the public has over the past years broadly accepted “disruptive technologies” as a term which refers to blockchain, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, drones, 3D printing and other cutting-edge technologies, which are the subject of this Study Report.