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Which AI applications are already in use in Germany today? Where is research being conducted into the fundamentals and applications of Artificial Intelligence? And who supports companies in the introduction of AI in their operations? The continuously expanding Map on AI of Plattform Lernende Systeme provides an overview of AI applications, research institutions and transfer centres in Germany - now also in an English version.

From intelligent failure forecasts for production lines to data-based monitoring in greenhouses and AI-controlled hand prostheses - Plattform Lernende Systeme uses a total of 13 practical examples from SMEs and industry to illustrate in its current report how new business models can be developed from data. The study shows: Collaboration and the sharing of data, technologies and skills in businessnetworks will be essential for companies in the future if they are to remain competitive in a digitalised economy.

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.

Who protects our data? Who decides what is private and whether there is a right to data ownership? These questions were discussed by Claudia Eckert from the Technical University of Munich and Jörn Müller-Quade from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) - both members of Plattform Lernende Systeme - on June 30th at acatech on Tuesday via Zoom with the guests who were connected. The event was held for the first time together with vhs.wissen live and the Bavarian Adult Education Association.

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.

The corona pandemic poses unprecedented challenges for the economy and society. Solutions and strategies are needed to overcome the current crisis and to create a "New Normal" in the post-crisis phase. The Steering Committee of Plattform Lernende Systeme discussed the potential of digitisation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its seventh session, which was held as a web conference. Further topics were the current work priorities of the platform.

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.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will improve the security of IT systems in the future. In the hands of cybercriminals, on the other hand, it opens up whole new avenues of attack for threatening IT security. The AI systems themselves also have to be protected from manipulation. The “Artificial Intelligence and IT security” white paper published by Plattform Lernende Systeme for Hannover Messe 2019 analyses the dynamic between IT security and AI. The authors, who are drawn from the fields of business, science and public authorities, call on small and medium-sized enterprises and IT specialists in particular to help build up core skills.

Cancer patients should be able to benefit more swiftly from research findings. This is the aim behind the National Decade Against Cancer, which was recently launched by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). In its latest application scenario, Plattform Lernende Systeme demonstrates how Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be able to improve the recovery chances of cancer patients in the near future.

Germany’s federal government today finalised its Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy. The goal is to establish “AI made in Germany” as a seal of quality for conscientious AI and make up ground lost to international competitors. Plattform Lernende Systeme – Germany’s platform for Artificial Intelligence – is to contribute to broad societal dialogue on AI.

Dieter Spath, President of acatech – the German National Academy of Science and Engineering, is stepping down from his position as Co-Chair of Plattform Lernende Systeme, to be succeeded by Karl-Heinz Streibich, who has been at the helm of the Academy alongside Spath since May 2018.

When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) Germany has very good prospects on the international stage. If it can quickly turn its well-established head start in research into applications focusing on practical uses, Germany can take the lead in the AI race. This was the message that Plattform Lernende Systeme, Germany’s platform for artificial intelligence, delivered at this year’s CEBIT.

Germany is leading the way when it comes to researching and developing artificial intelligence (AI). If this expertise can be put to use quickly, Germany can secure global technological leadership and drive forward the responsible use of self-learning systems both at home and abroad.

Self-learning systems are the key to meeting the increasing requirements of productivity in an ageing society and to preserving prosperity, says Mr Dieter Spath in conclusion of his presentation on 22 January at the Munich School of Philosophy.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and self-learning systems will become the drivers of industry in the coming years and will at the same time change many realms of society. Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, in cooperation with Germany’s digital association Bitkom, invited stakeholders to Artificial Intelligence Day, a networking event held in Berlin on 29 November.

The Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) is reinforcing research on artificial intelligence and launching the forward-looking project “Learning Systems”. As a first step, a new expert platform is being established in order to improve the collaboration between research and application as well as clarify how learning systems can be useful for humans.