Imagine Tech for Good: Solving the World’s Greatest Challenges
Marga Hoek
Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group (November 2023)

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”    Albert Einstein

Why did Marga Hoek write this book? After more than three years of wide and deep research, she wanted to share the most valuable lessons she learned about how synergizing various technologies for global progress progress can be achieved — indeed MUST be achieved —  by employing them as a driver for sustainable growth. “Businesses have taken on this challenge and are paving the way for a sustainable future. Companies with a positive impact can help lead the way. An astounding 69 of the world’s 100 largest economies by revenue are companies, not countries.  Business has the influence and power to lead, and therefore the responsibility to do so.  But how can we move faster  to solve global challenges? How can we innovate and create solutions at scale?”

These two are among the key questions. Hoek  responds brilliantly — at times passionately — to them in this book.

More specifically, she focuses on 17 “sustainable development goals” (agreed upon by 193 countries) from companies all over the world. “My goal with this book is to expand your imagination through inspiration. My hope is that it will raise your confidence to act and to create positive impact on the world with the help of technology. My hope is that you will dare to engage with one or more of the appropriate technologies and dare vto imagine the p[ossibloe, instead of dwelling on the impossible. It is my hope that you do not see all the challenges preventing you from action, but rather that you look at all the opportunities for success.”

She also includes mini-case studies of 175 real-world business challenges. For example, in Chapter 2, Artificial Intelligence and Data: “In an ideal scenario, AI and data offer task completion an operability at scale, while also enabling a high degree of efficiency that surpasses the human dimension. Such advanced technology that infiltrates every aspect of our lives also presents risks and challenges. AI and data specific issues and how to mitigate others are addressed at the end of this chapter.”

These mini-case studies are carefully examined in Chapter 2:

#6 LAB499 (15)
Initiative: Empowering Sustainable Investing with AI
Headquarters: Dublin, Ireland

#7 Microsoft (35) and Google (36)
Incentive: AI for Earth and AI for Social Good
Headquarters: Redmond, Washington and Mountain View, California

#8 AVANADE (73)
Incentive: Accelerating Business Transformation and Innovation
Headquarters: Seattle, Washington

#9 TRANSVOYANT (76)
Incentive: Comprehensive Data Fusion, Business Analytics, and Insights
Headquarters: Alexandria, Virginia

#10 AZURE FARMBEATS (85)
Incentive: Microsoft AI, Edge, and loT for Agriculture
Headquarters: Redmond, Washington

#11 CAPGEMINI (100)
Incentive: Preserving the Mojave Desert
Headquarters: Paris, France

#12 NETEX LEARNING (109)
Incentive: Netex Knowledge Factory
Headquarters: A Coruña, Spain

Obviously, no brief commentary such as mine can possibly do full justice to the quality of information, insights, and counsel that this book provides. However, I hope that I have at least indicated why I think so highly of it and of Marga Hoek. These are among her concluding thoughts: “If we truly want to achieve the Global Goals, businesses must be action-driven by leveraging technologies to reach their their full potential. Demonstrating how Tech for Good can achieve the Global Goals while while creating commercial business opportunities was ultimately my personal purpose for this book. It was my mission to inspire my reader to see the vast possibilities, rather than accept the status quo. Tech for Good ultimately teaches us we do not have to accept this. Along with business, and the global community, let’s first imagine, then work toward creating, a sustainable, thriving world.

“Join the Tech for Good movement today.”

Here are two suggestions to keep in mind while reading Imagine Tech for Good: Highlight key passages, and, record your comments, questions, action steps (preferably with deadlines), page references, and lessons you have learned from relevant insights as well as your responses to questions posed throughout Marga Hoek’s lively as well as eloquent narrative. Pay special attention to dozens of “Figures” within which other key points are also made.

These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will facilitate, indeed expedite frequent reviews of key material later.