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Artificial intelligence: Where does Berlin stand in the global competition between locations?
Text: Philipp Zettl | Policy Officer
AI-driven applications are about to fundamentally change the way we live and work. Where does Berlin, with its outstanding scientific landscape and vibrant start-up scene, stand in the global competition? What are the location's "assets" and what are its weaknesses? A panel of experts moderated by tech journalist Nikolaus Röttger explored these and other questions. The result: our region is not as far ahead in the international race as many would like to believe. But there is hope.
The Berlin Institute for the Foundations of Learning and Data, or BIFOLD for short, is an important asset in Berlin when it comes to AI. However, Dr. Jack Thoms, Managing Director of the institute, reported that this AI basic research center, which has been quite successful in the international "war of talents", is not able to fully exploit its potential. Due to the immense renovation backlog in the Berlin university sector and the many closed buildings, the researchers are not located in one place, but are spread all over Berlin - sometimes even permanently working from home.
And what about the spin-offs? A lot depends on the benchmark: celebrating the fact that it has more AI start-ups than Munich is questionable - after all, the Bavarian capital is only half the size of Berlin. Berlin should actually compare itself to London and Paris - both cities that are on the verge of leaving Berlin behind when it comes to AI, warned Dr. Thoms. Dr. Thoms regretted the lack of serious consideration of the importance of AI for the city and the economy - and not just financially - in Berlin politics. In other federal states, AI is a matter for the boss: "It's no wonder that the AI unicorns don't come from Berlin!"




Prof. Dr. Marc Drüner, founder and CEO of AI start-up eduBITES, went one step further: "We have already lost the AI deep tech race, Germany is too expensive and lacks proper funding." Dr. Florian Schütz, Managing Director of KI Park, added: "Due to strict data protection guidelines, the whole of Europe and Germany in particular is incredibly bad at feeding and training AI with end user data. This is a huge locational disadvantage. But there is hope: in contrast to other Western countries, Germany still has a strong industry, top-level science and a lively start-up scene: "If we focus on the development of industrial AI, fed with industrial data instead of human data, we still have the chance to be at the forefront."
Joachim Spitzley reported on how companies can introduce AI. The skilled trades sector is a very traditional business, said the CEO of bito AG: "When talking to business partners from the sector, I am often asked: 'Can't I sit out AI in the same way as blockchain technology and other new developments? '" He wants to free his employees, his most important asset, from administrative work, which can only be done with AI. His way of breaking down the prejudices of his workforce: A lot of personal persuasion and recourse to external experts, who explained the advantageous of AI very vividly.
There is a lot to consider when introducing AI in a company. The right use cases need to be defined and the use of resources optimally managed. It is also important to remain sensitive to the potential bias of AI applications, said Anette von Wedel. According to the CEO of female Vision, AI is ultimately man-made: everything that happens in the real world is also reflected in AI, such as racism or other forms of discrimination. There are many gateways to this: for example, an underrepresentation of data from women or minority groups can distort predictive AI algorithms in the healthcare sector, or cognitive bias, when people unconsciously feed their prejudices into the AI through their input and thus distort the algorithm. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Female Vision has developed the KIDD process to prevent such biases. The result: the beginning is always arduous, but in the end the quality of the AI and the employees' trust in the AI increases.
In conclusion, Prof. Drüner drastically recommended that all entrepreneurs present should take a close look at artificial intelligence: "AI will cause a bloodbath. Take a look at your processes, your competitors will do the same."
You can find more background information on AI in the corporate context in the current VBKI SPIEGEL - Click here for the online edition.
Many thanks to the team at VBKI-Digital for preparing the event. Would you also like to take part? Then get in touch with Philipp Zettl
Impressions
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