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ChatGPT is currently moving the public. The text bot is one of the so-called big language models that are celebrated as a breakthrough in AI research. Do big language models promise real progress or are they just hype? How can voice assistants be used - and what conditions do we need to create in Europe so that business and society benefit from them? Volker Tresp answers these questions in an interview. He is a professor at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich with a research focus on machine learning in information networks and co-leader of the "Technological Enablers and Data Science" working group of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Is Artificial Intelligence on the way to developing its own consciousness? The discussion about this is in full swing - not least since Google researcher Blake Lemoine attested to the language model for dialogs LaMDA that it communicates like "a seven or eight-year-old child". How should this assessment be evaluated? What characterizes human consciousness? And why do people tend to anthropomorphize technology? Computer scientist and psychologist Ute Schmid provides answers to these questions. She is a professor of cognitive systems at the University of Bamberg and heads the Technological Enablers and Data Science working group at Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Is Artificial Intelligence on the way to developing its own consciousness? The discussion about this is in full swing - not least since Google researcher Blake Lemoine attested to the language model for dialogs LaMDA that it communicates like "a seven- or eight-year-old child who happens to have a clue about physics. How should this assessment be evaluated? What distinguishes large neural networks from other AI systems? And: What role will they play in the future and in international competition? Stefan Wrobel, Director of Fraunhofer IAIS, answers these questions in an interview.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the world of work - and with it leadership in companies and institutions. Its use can relieve managers, but also raises ethical and labor law issues. Rahild Neuburger explains which management tasks AI systems can support and what needs to be taken into account to ensure the successful introduction of AI in companies. She is a senior lecturer at the LMU Munich School of Management at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and a member of the Work/Qualification and Human-Machine Interaction working group of the Learning Systems Platform.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is considered a key digital technology of the future. AI-based computer systems can control traffic, optimize production processes and support doctors in diagnosis. We have long been using AI systems in our everyday lives via smartphones. But what exactly is AI and how does it work? What distinguishes weak AI from strong AI? And what challenges are associated with the use of self-learning computer programs? Volker Tresp answers these questions in an interview. He is a professor at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich with a research focus on machine learning in information networks and a member of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can contribute to the success of the energy transition, low-emission mobility or environmentally friendly agriculture: the use of the technology opens up new business models for companies that support sustainable development in the economy and society. However, the energy consumption in the use and development of AI applications is often high. Markus Schnell, Senior Director Software and Tools at Infineon Technologies AG and member of the Business Model Innovations working group, explains how companies can use AI to make their operations sustainable and how the ecological footprint of AI systems themselves can be reduced.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change our working world - in the factory as well as in the office. AI-based software and robots can support people in monotonous and physically demanding tasks. Central to successful cooperation with AI systems is the qualification of employees. Wilhelm Bauer, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO and Co-Head of the Future of Work and Human-Machine Interaction working group of Plattform Lernende Systeme, explains which skills are important in the AI age and how companies can qualify their employees to work with AI systems.

Social bots spreading false information on social networks, deep fakes or data abuse for voter manipulation - at the latest since the last presidential election in the USA, there has been discussion about the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on opinion formation in the run-up to democratic elections. In this context, AI systems can also help detect so-called fake news on social media platforms or give people individual election recommendations according to their political attitudes. Political scientist Prof. Dr. Christoph Bieber explains what challenges and potential AI systems hold for democratic elections. He is head of the AI Governance project at the University of Duisburg-Essen and a member of the "IT Security, Privacy, Legal and Ethical Framework" working group of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

More than four million people in Germany are currently dependent on nursing care, and their number will increase significantly in the coming years as a result of demographic developments. Some care tasks could be taken over by assistance robots in the future. Elisabeth André explains which tasks they are suitable for, to what extent their use is to the benefit of professionals and those in need of care, and what needs to be taken into account when developing care robots. She is Chair of Human-Centered Multimedia at the Interdisciplinary Institute of Informatics of the University of Augsburg. At Plattform Lernende Systeme, Elisabeth André heads the working group "Future of Work and Human-Machine Interaction"

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing our working world. AI systems can relieve employees of their tasks and streamline work processes. However, the introduction of the technology in companies is also associated with challenges. For it to be a success for both employees and companies, structured change management is required. Oliver Suchy explains what is involved and how companies can best prepare their employees for the change. He is head of the "Digital Working Worlds and Working World Reporting" department of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) 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 in Berlin and a member of the "Technological Enablers and Data Science" working group of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Artificial Intelligence promises many beneficial applications. The extent to which these are actually realised depends largely on whether people have confidence in the technology. What challenges arise for the responsible development and application of AI systems? According to which criteria should they be implemented? And what can companies do to apply AI without discrimination? Answers to these questions can be found in a guideline that was developed by the IT Security, Privacy, Law and Ethics working group of Plattform Lernende Systeme under the direction of Jessica Heesen.

In the age of digitalisation, data are considered treasures, the value of which many companies are not yet aware of. Through Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, they can be made usable - even for small and medium-sized companies. Olga Mordvinova, founder and managing director of the AI start-up incontext.technology GmbH, explains how intelligent data analysis can support them in improving existing processes or developing new business models.

Artificial Intelligence methods can contribute in many ways to meeting current challenges of the corona pandemic. Prof. Dr. Frank Kirchner, head of the Robotics Innovation Center at the Bremen site of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), provides an overview of potential applications, practical limitations and important research priorities. 

How can Europe move forward in the global race for technological leadership in Artificial Intelligence? Katharina Morik, Professor for Artificial Intelligence at the TU Dortmund University and member of the Plattform Lernende Systeme, coordinates the cooperation of the AI competence centres in Germany and France on the German side. In our interview, she explains why European countries need to join forces in AI research.

Digitisation is not an end in itself for SMEs, but a prerequisite for them to operate successfully in an increasingly networked economy. Many small and medium-sized companies still lack clear ideas about how they should approach the future topic of Artificial Intelligence for themselves. Susanne Boll-Westermann from the University of Oldenburg explains which questions they should ask themselves and why networking with other players is so important.

Self-learning systems will penetrate our everyday life in the coming years, and skilled workers are already desperately needed. Reason enough for young people to think about doing "something with AI" in their careers. Our member Elsa A. explains why the topic is fascinating and what is important in AI development. Kirchner on the occasion of the nationwide Girl's Day.