AI is a key technology of the future with a wide range of possible applications and the potential to transform the economy, science and society. Nevertheless, there are still major reservations about AI-based technologies in large parts of the German population, as displayed through an eco/Civey survey. eco calls for a broad debate in order to boost societal acceptance.

In Germany, the Internet industry is recovering more quickly than expected from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis. This is conveyed in the update of the eco Industry Monitor. In 2023, eco and Arthur D. Little predict a growth rate of 14 per cent. Moreover, in the medium to long term, artificial intelligence promises significant growth in all industry segments.

eco Chair of the Board Oliver Süme: “Sustainability and digitalisation are two sides of the same coin – digital technologies and applications are part of the solution to achieve the climate goals.” The study conducted by eco and Arthur D. Little examines the impacts of digital transformation on resource efficiency...

Sharing and securely storing data is a must in the mobility industry – this was the consensus of the participants and speakers at the webinar jointly organised by the eco Association’s Mobility CG and Car Repair 4.0.

Recent innovations and developments in AI have intensified the debate around data protection. Prof. Dr Anne Riechert, Board Member of the AI Frankfurt Rhein-Main Society gives a first insight into the topic and presents the activities of the AI Frankfurt Rhein-Main Society.

It is  important that the AI Act clearly addresses potential risks, but in order to harness the opportunities of the technology, we need room for innovation. Today, Europe is already lagging behind in the development of AI systems. This threatens not only Europe’s technological sovereignty, but also the competitiveness of the entire economy in Germany.

Artificial intelligence has taken another leap forward with the ChatGPT language model from the Californian company Open AI, which was launched in November 2022. A eco/Civey survey shows that 58.7 percent of German students use chatbots like ChatGPT. Among the German population, however, chatbots still play a rather small role.

The increasing prevalence of connected cars and advanced driver assistance systems makes vehicles more than just means of transport. They are computers on wheels that collect and transmit huge amounts of data. This data can include everything from location information and driving behaviour to biometric data and even personal preferences. Safe handling of them has become all the more important.

The year 2023 will be the year of artificial intelligence (AI). The hype around ChatGPT, the AI that can write essays, articles or texts within seconds using just a few lines of input, continues unabated. Voice assistants also use the potential of AI and are constantly developing to provide users with even better results....

Demand for AI services is high: 71 percent of AI companies are focusing on the development and use of language models. More than 80 percent of the experts surveyed recommend building a German AI ecosystem. A study by the LEAM Initiative develops a concept for building a German AI supercomputing infrastructure.

The AI Campus learning platform(www.ki-campus.org) has set itself the task of explaining the technical principles behind AI tools in a comprehensible way and strengthening AI skills in society. For this purpose, the AI Campus develops free online courses, videos and podcasts for beginners and advanced learners in English...

The consortium of the Service-Meister funding project published their new German-language e-learning course for technical service professionals in October 2022. In it, skilled personnel will be trained in the use of artificial intelligence in industrial applications.

While China and North America continue to strengthen their position in the field of AI with massive government and private sector investments, Europe has fallen behind in the development of large AI models. European companies may face a stark choice in the medium term: Should they use non-European AI applications and thus...

Svenja Hahn is a Member of the European Parliament for the FDP and part of the Renew Europe Group. In an interview with eco, she talks about the challenges of regulating artificial intelligence, the goals of the AI Act and her Digital Single Market working group. What challenges does the EU face in integrating artificial...

The starting signal has been given for the Car Repair 4.0 (Autowerkstatt 4.0) project. In it, a consortium of partner companies and research institutes is developing a Germany-wide platform for the trustworthy exchange of industry-specific vehicle data. With the help of the platform, car repair shops can use intelligent fault diagnosis systems

This year, it’s not just the Covid-19 pandemic, but also the threatening climate change which will continue to drive forward digital transformation in the economy and society. “Digitalisation is part of the solution to many challenges,” says eco Chair of the Board Oliver Süme.

At the invitation of three German ministries, the inaugural meeting of the German AI Standardisation and Conformity Coordination Group took place last week. With immediate effect, Alexander Rabe, Managing Director of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, brought the voice of the Internet industry to this 21-member committee.

The Service-Meister Consortium announces it will unveil its 2020-developed platform architecture at the end of the year.  Service-Meister is developing innovations using AI to improve the service processes of SMEs.

With the update of the German federal government’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy from 2018, which was adopted by the Federal Cabinet today, the responsible ministries have set themselves goals not just for the coming years, but also in all probability for far beyond the current legislative term.

This week, the German Bundestag intends to pass a motion on the “Future Technology Artificial Intelligence”, which will include a statement on the European Commission’s AI White Paper. In February of this year, the EU Commission announced stronger regulations in its AI White Paper.  

For the majority of the companies, what is currently most relevant is a strategy that strengthens their own value creation in the long term.

Ingobert Veith from HUAWEI offers insight into the benefits of AI, together with 5G and IoT technologies – for everything from networks to autonomous driving, and on to fighting Covid-19. Read more on dotmagazine.  

ImagineOn provides an overview of how to train artificial intelligence on a budget. Read more on dotmagazine.

Joseph Carson from Thycotic talks to dotmagazine about the ‘A’ in AI and the thought that needs to be put into developing AI solutions. Read more on dotmagazine.

How can people with disabilities benefit from digital technologies and artificial intelligence in the workplace? Hauke Timmermann introduces the research project KI.ASSIST. Read more on dotmagazine.

To fully harness AI’s potential, eco Chair of the Board Oliver J. Süme urges politicians to promote societal acceptance and to strengthen both digital infrastructures and research & development. Read more on dotmagazine.

Harald A. Summa, CEO of the eco Association, explains that we should focus on the objectives, not the tool, to understand the potential of AI. Read more on dotmagazine.

In this issue, dotmagazine sheds light on the business potential of AI, and investigates what Europe needs to do to develop a thriving AI industry and support digital innovation.

The Service-Meister project was formally launched in Frankfurt am Main on 11 February 2020. Service-Meister was chosen for funding as part of the AI innovation competition of the German government.

Prof. Michael Rotert, eco Honorary President, looks at how industry and policy makers can shape and steer the impact AI has on human dignity and human rights.