Dynamic beam shaping has recently emerged as a new frontier in high-power laser systems for advanced industrial material processing. Through the inclusion of adaptive optics elements, the spatial intensity profile of laser beams becomes a new parameter to improve in real-time the thermal and mechanical interactions with the workpiece. A wide range of applications require high-power or high-energy lasers: the technology employed in cutting, welding, surface treatment, and additive manufacturing sees a continuous evolution in terms of process efficiency, quality, and versatility. However, the potential of static beam shaping methods is strongly limited by the susceptibility to light intensity variation of the input laser beam and real-time process phenomena.