The world has been moving towards “service-led” economies: In many developed countries, services already account for more than 70% of the gross domestic product. In order to design, engineer, and manage services, traditional “goods-oriented” business models are often inappropriate. At the same time, the rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT), such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), pushes “servitization” and the economic importance of digital services. This drives competition and opens up novel opportunities: Services can instantly be delivered anywhere across the globe; dynamic and scalable service ecosystems replace static value chains; increased interaction options allow “value co-creation” between providers and customers; and the analysis of big data enables service optimization and personalization.

Building on a systematic categorization of different types of services and on the general notion of “value co-creation”, we cover concepts for managing, developing, and analyzing digital services, as well as current technological advances in digital services, allowing for further specialization in master level courses. Topics in this course include an introduction to digital services, human-centered development of services, and service analytics based on big data. Additionally, we cover emerging technologies and trends as well as essential design concepts for AI-based services, such as bias and fairness in AI, explainable AI, and sovereign AI. Finally, the lecture lays the practical foundations for implementing, analyzing, and managing digital services at scale. Besides those contents, the lecture entails first-hand research insights, exercises and discussion sessions, and guest lectures from practitioners that will illustrate the relevance of digital services in today’s world.

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