Technology is having a profound impact on the world we inhabit and the ways we conduct our lives, but even the most dramatic changes may seem incremental to those of us who are knee-deep in it. That’s why we decided to create this special issue of CIO.We invited leading thinkers from many walks of life to share their thoughts about how technology is affecting health care, financial markets, war, exploration, kids, education, employment trends, civil liberties, religion, sports and more. The essays that follow convey a sense of hope and illuminate the frontiers of far-reaching change. They also pose questions that I hope all technologists will take to heart.Is technology-driven progress good? Do we have a choice to pursue it, or does change have its own built-in inevitability? Can it be controlled (or as Ray Kurzweil puts it in his essay beginning on Page 22, “relinquished”) completely or even selectively? Should we attempt to halt certain developments because the risks are too great, as might be argued with bioengineering or nanotechnology, or simply because they make life less enjoyable, as Ben Crenshaw argues (on Page 46) that golf technology has already done? Directly or indirectly, CIOs have a part to play in making many of these changes happen, yet they rarely have an opportunity to step back and consider the long-term effects of their decisions and actions. The reality of work is such that we focus primarily and most intensely on our own piece of the puzzle—our assignments, our department’s goals, the business’s mission, the trends in our industry—and not much more. With this issue, we invite you to pause and reflect on the broader implications of the work you do. And we invite you to share your thoughts with us and with each other at www.cio.com/impact2003. Related content feature Expedia poised to take flight with generative AI CTO Rathi Murthy sees the online travel service’s vast troves of data and AI expertise fueling a two-pronged transformation strategy aimed at growing the company by bringing more of the travel industry online. By Paula Rooney Jun 02, 2023 7 mins Travel and Hospitality Industry Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence case study Deoleo doubles down on sustainability through digital transformation The Spanish multinational olive oil processing company is immersed in a digital transformation journey to achieve operational efficiency and contribute to the company's sustainability strategy. By Nuria Cordon Jun 02, 2023 6 mins CIO Supply Chain Digital Transformation brandpost Resilient data backup and recovery is critical to enterprise success As global data volumes rise, business must prioritize their resiliency strategies. By Neal Weinberg Jun 01, 2023 4 mins Security brandpost Democratizing HPC with multicloud to accelerate engineering innovations Cloud for HPC is facilitating broader access to high performance computing and accelerating innovations and opportunities for all types of organizations. By Tanya O'Hara Jun 01, 2023 6 mins Multi Cloud Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe