This week, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier welcomed around 1,100 representatives from politics, business, trade unions, academia, and society to the Federal Government's 2018 Digital Summit in Nuremberg. The topic of this year's conference: Artificial Intelligence.
In addition to Angela Merkel, Research Minister Anja Karliczek, Justice Minister Katarina Barley, Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer and State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Björn Böhning, as well as Prime Minister Markus Söder took part. Peter Altmaier said:
"With the cross-sectional technology of AI, we can massively improve our lives, whether in the early detection of diseases, support for care, or autonomous driving. With "AI made in Germany," we ensure that people, not machines, set the direction, creating new jobs and prosperity."
According to Altmaier, around 32 billion euros in additional value creation is possible in the manufacturing sector alone over the next five years.
Artificial Intelligence: “Without startups, knowledge transfer between science and business cannot succeed”
An initiative of AI centers in Germany, France, Finland, Denmark, and Norway presented the Minister with a Memorandum of Understanding. This initiative reaffirms European values, aims at deepening European cooperation, and the transfer of research into application and industry. Co-initiator is appliedAI, an initiative in the field of applied artificial intelligence and part of the UnternehmerTUM.
“With this merger, we want to massively strengthen the role of AI and, above all, its practical application in Europe,”
so Andreas Liebl, Head of appliedAI.
"Especially in the face of such major AI nations as the USA or China, it is extremely important that we act across borders. Only then do we have a chance of not being left behind in the field of AI."
Rasmus Rothe, board member of the AI Federal Association and founder and board member of Merantix, says that startups form the bridge between cutting-edge AI research and established industry:
"Without startups, knowledge transfer between science and business cannot succeed, as two completely different worlds collide here. […] The decisive success factor for a German AI strategy that aims to establish Germany as one of the world's leading locations for AI is therefore the consistent and early support of national startups on a large scale."
