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Technological advances in machine learning and robotics are opening up more and more new possibilities: Robots can increasingly be used in social environments and take on tasks that were previously difficult to realise due to their complexity. In interaction with humans - through simple demonstration, improvement and feedback, robots learn to perform tasks in changing environments. In this interview, Jürgen Beyerer explains the potential this opens up for future areas of application and how technology can be used safely and confidently in social environments. He is Professor of Computer Science at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Director of the Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB. He is co-head of the working group Learning Robotics Systems in Platform Lernende Systeme.

The justice system in Germany is overloaded: Between 2021 and 2023, the number of open criminal proceedings increased by almost 30 per cent, according to the German Association of Judges. However, the number of judges and public prosecutors in Germany will decrease significantly in the coming years due to retirement. AI systems promise a wide range of potential applications and greater efficiency for the legal system. In this interview, Frauke Rostalski explains how AI systems can relieve the burden on courts and contribute to fair judgements. She is Professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law, Philosophy of Law and Comparative Law at the University of Cologne, member of the German Ethics Council and member of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

The shortage of skilled labour is already being felt in many industries and professions. The situation will become even more acute when the baby boomers retire. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can counteract the shortage of skilled labour. With the help of technology, employees can be relieved and hidden reserves can be mobilised for the labour market. In this interview, Christoph M. Schmidt explains exactly how this can be achieved and what challenges are associated with the use of AI in companies and administration. He is President of the RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and a member of the Future of Work and Human-Machine Interaction working group of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

In the run-up to democratic elections, experts have increasingly warned against attempts to influence voting decisions with targeted misinformation in recent years. While disinformation is not a new phenomenon in political debates and conflict situations, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) can exacerbate the threat. This puts pressure on the free formation of opinion as a pillar of democracy.

Around 7.9 million people with impairments lived in Germany in 2020; about one third of them of working age. Their integration into the world of work is not only ethically and legally necessary, but also economically essential in view of the shortage of skilled workers. Artificial intelligence (AI) can help people with impairments to cope with their tasks in everyday working life. Angelika Bullinger-Hoffmann explains in an interview how participation can be improved with the help of AI technology - and which hurdles have to be overcome along the way. She is Professor of Work Science and Innovation Management at Chemnitz University of Technology and a member of the Future of Work and Human-Machine Interaction working group of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Many SMEs are still reluctant to use Artificial Intelligence (AI). A first starting point is the analysis of their own value chain: Where and how can AI support them as a powerful computing tool? Professor Dr. Alexander Löser explains in an interview how SMEs can benefit from AI in concrete terms, what process steps are involved and why the introduction of AI requires a willingness to fail. He is the founder and spokesman of the Data Science Research Center at the Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin and a member of the "Technological Enablers and Data Science" working group of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made great strides in recent years. Today, AI systems can already be found on social media platforms, in search engines and as recommendation providers in online retail - even in sensitive areas such as medicine or in autonomous driving cars, the self-learning software is involved in decisions. AI can support us in our everyday lives, but if it is maliciously manipulated, it can cause great harm. Prof. Dr. Ahmad-Reza Sadeghi explains the IT security challenges associated with the use of AI and how AI systems and the underlying data can be protected against attacks. He is head of the System Security Lab at the Technical University of Darmstadt and a member of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Low-emission mobility, climate-friendly energy supply, clean industrial production or optimized circular economy - Artificial Intelligence (AI) can contribute to climate protection in many ways. At the same time, the development and deployment of AI systems is often itself accompanied by high resource consumption. Where the technology can best unleash its potential and what needs to be done to keep the ecological footprint of AI applications low is explained in an interview by Oliver Zielinski, head of the Competence Center AI for Environment and Sustainability (DFKI4planet) and member of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Digitalization and the increasing use of AI systems are profoundly changing jobs - both in industry and in the service sector. What needs to be done to ensure that the use of AI contributes to socially sustainable development, in other words: puts people at the center and contributes to a sustainable, globally just and livable society? Nadine Müller, Head of Innovation and Good Work at the United Services Union ver.di and member of Plattform Lernende Systeme, provides answers in this interview.

AI systems can help find tumors, control insulin pumps or assist during operations. But on their way from research to healthcare, AI innovations in Germany have to overcome many hurdles. Karsten Hiltawsky explains the challenges facing manufacturers of medical AI products and what needs to change so that people benefit more quickly from the innovations. He is Head of Corporate Technology and Innovation at Dräger and head of the Health Care, Medical Technology, Care working group of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already making our lives and work easier today - as a driving assistance system in cars, as a control element in production or as a recommendation system for online shopping. For the future, self-learning algorithms are considered a key technology for whose development and application specialists are urgently sought. Many universities have already launched corresponding courses of study. On the occasion of the nationwide Girls' Day, Ute Schmid explains why girls and women in particular should concern themselves with Artificial Intelligence and what role models there are. She is Professor of Cognitive Systems at the University of Bamberg and a member of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Artificial Intelligence is a helpful tool that can make people's work and everyday lives easier in a variety of ways. At the same time, AI systems, which are often highly networked and partly embedded in other systems, can also be used for illegal purposes. Protecting them from misuse is an important task. Using the example of digital image processing, Detlef Houdeau (Infineon AG and member of the IT Security, Privacy, Legal and Ethical Framework working group) outlines how AI algorithms help professional and amateur photographers to take better pictures - but can also be used with criminal intent to forge travel documents.

The EU Commission wants to regulate by law what Artificial Intelligence may and may not do. In its draft AI law, the Commission has defined a catalogue of criteria that will be used in future to assess the risks, the so-called criticality, of an AI system. Depending on the level of risk, an AI system can be banned, must meet certain requirements before it is introduced to the market. Armin Grunwald, professor of philosophy of technology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and head of the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB), explains why the assessment of risks in Artificial Intelligence is particularly difficult.

Artificial Intelligence is a powerful tool that can be used to improve processes and develop new products and services. Many things are technically possible. But with what goal do we want to use AI as a society? A broad socio-political discourse on this is necessary to create framework conditions within which technical applications can be successfully developed and implemented. Jessica Heesen explains in an interview how this can succeed. The philosopher and media ethicist heads the research focus on media ethics and information technology at the International Centre for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities at the University of Tübingen as well as the working group "IT Security, Privacy, Legal and Ethical Framework" of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Self-driving cars on the roads are only conceivable in a few years. Intermodal testing and learning is still underway. The trust that drivers place in AI-supported assistance systems is crucial for the acceptance of automated vehicles. In the application scenario 'On the Way to Intelligent Mobility' developed by Plattform Lernende Systeme, the interaction between the protagonist Carla and her automated vehicle works well. Dr Corina Apachiţe explains in an interview how trust is created and what challenges still exist. She heads the Artificial Intelligence department at Continental Automotive and is responsible for the overall technical strategy and operational implementation.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can make our everyday lives easier, traffic safer and healthcare better. But realizing this potential requires trustworthy AI systems that people are happy to use. Certification of AI can increase trust in the technology. Jörn Müller-Quade explains what specifics need to be considered when certifying AI and why not all AI systems need to undergo testing. The professor researches cryptography and learning systems at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He is also head of the "IT Security" working group of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Self-learning robots and AI systems can provide support in space, in the deep sea or in the event of disasters - by exploring unexplored terrain or carrying out work in dangerous regions. To do this, the technical systems must act as autonomously as possible, but at the same time always remain under the ultimate control of humans. Jürgen Beyerer explains in this interview how these requirements can be implemented and where there is still a need for research. He is a professor of computer science at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and director of the Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB. At Plattform Lernende Systeme, he heads the "Hostile-to-life Environments” working group.

Medical assistance systems, software for fraud detection or the predictive maintenance of industrial plants promise great benefits. Co-Author Kai-Uwe Sattler, Professor of Databases and Information Systems at the TU Ilmenau, explains why it is important to have the "right" data, what is meant by data engineering and what skills data science experts need. He is a member of the working group "Technological Pioneers and Data Science" of the Plattform Lernende Systeme and co-author of the white paper "From Data to AI".

Companies must enrich their physical products with intelligent services and change their business models accordingly in order to remain internationally competitive. This requires new forms of cooperation in so-called digital value-added networks. Svenja Falk, Managing Director at Accenture Research, explains the advantages of these networks and why data- and AI-driven applications are also interesting for SMEs.

Logistics is a highly complex and networked system, which is today still mostly optimized manually, both within and across companies - and is quickly impaired in the event of unforeseen events. Sören Kerner, head of the Automation and Embedded Systems department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML, explains how logistics processes can be optimized with the help of AI and what obstacles currently stand in the way.

Thomas Schauf, Senior Expert Public and Regulatory Affairs at Deutsche Telekom AG, together with other members of Plattform Lernende Systeme, has examined data management and IT security when using AI in medicine in a current white paper. In our interview he explains how patient data can be protected and how access to sensitive information can be regulated.

Data Scientists are desperately sought. The Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (Society for Computer Science) has defined the skills that need to be taught at colleges and universities, but also through further education courses. (GI) in cooperation with Plattform Lernende Systeme. Co-author Ulf Brefeld from the Leuphana University of Lüneburg explains why the target groups are very different.

The intelligent use and linking of data enables new forms of entrepreneurial cooperation and completely new business models. In the future, products and services can be adapted to the individual wishes and needs of customers. This raises the question for companies: How can they use AI for their business or develop new AI-based business models? Our member Andreas Liebl provides answers to these questions.