- Two associations, one mission – the eco Association and the German National AI Association announce strategic partnership
- High-performance infrastructures, promotion and development of skilled workers, and ethical use of AI in focus
- AI seal of quality is coming
Artificial intelligence is the key technology of digitalization in the 21st century and has the potential to become a “game changer” for traditional business processes and models. Experts are forecasting a market worth billions. Even today, AI applications are being used in large and small companies alike, and innumerable startup companies are springing up around the world.
Germany as a digital location also needs to position itself quickly and sustainably, if it wants to be able to compete on the AI world market in the future. Important prerequisites for this, alongside the clarification of legal and social issues, include decisive support of education and innovations in the area of AI. eco – Association of the Internet Industry and the German National AI Association want to approach these points decisively and jointly in future in the context of a new strategic partnership and develop approaches to solutions on the part of industry. The two associations announced this today on the occasion of the official signing of the cooperation agreement in Berlin.
“Digitalization must serve people and the society. This principle has been the central focus of eco for more than 20 years. We also advocate for a high-performance and reliable digital infrastructure, as this is the backbone of all digital applications – including seminal AI applications. Our experience in the area of infrastructure, certification, and auditing is the perfect complement to the strong market expertise of the National AI Association and its primarily application-driven members. I am very pleased about this cooperation and am convinced that together we can bring forward Germany as an AI location,” said eco Board Member Prof. Dr. Norbert Pohlmann.
For Pohlmann, the special focus here is on the factor of digital self-determination: “If we want to support AI in Europe and especially in Germany, we need more data centers in order to be able to store and process the large volumes of data locally. So we actually need an ‘AI Airbus’ that takes digital infrastructure as its starting point.”
An initial concrete project that the two associations wish to take forward is the introduction of the new AI seal of quality which the National AI Association has developed: “A credible and transparent quality control for the ethical use of AI can become an important locational factor for Europe as a digital location. The AI seal of quality is an important step towards this,” says Jörg Bienert, President of the National AI Association. “I am pleased that eco wants to contribute its experience in the certification of products and services. Together with the eco Association, we will shape framework conditions for a beneficial and value-oriented application of artificial intelligence,” Bienert continued.
