The topic of artificial intelligence (AI) is the focus of the digital transformation of SMEs. “Our aim is to promote the transfer of AI to companies and introduce SMEs to AI,” said Ministerial Director Stefan Schorr, Head of the “Digital and Innovation Policy” department at the BMWi, at yesterday’s SME Digital Congress in Berlin. Around 300 guests, including entrepreneurs, representatives of the 25 medium-sized companies 4.0 competence centers in Germany as well as political players and press representatives, attended the event.
What can AI be? How can SMEs benefit from it? Machine learning, for example, which is currently an important branch of artificial intelligence, is less about rule-based algorithms and more about training. AI relies on large data sets and countless iterations. “However, this does not mean that humans will become superfluous,” says neuroscientist Boris Nikolai Konrad. However, it will depend on “learning in both directions”. According to Konrad, humans must be prepared to learn from the mistakes and successes of AI use, just as AI can practice human behavior.
Experts emphasise how important AI is for the future of SMEs. Oliver Grün, President of the European Digital SME Alliance and digitalHUB Aachen: “The digitalisation of SMEs is the question of fate for Europe. And AI is the basic technology.”
Education and training must also adapt to the increasing use of AI in the skilled trades, small and medium-sized enterprises and industry. Prof. Martin Ruskowski (Head of Innovative Factory Systems at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence) called for the possibilities of AI to be given greater consideration when redesigning education and training courses. Chatbots, language analysis software and modular e-learning offerings already offer the potential for tailor-made training courses.
The contradiction between technological scepticism and progress, which is particularly evident in data protection when it comes to AI, is always a popular topic of discussion. Here, some regulations are an obstacle to new developments and their use, precisely because current AI methods thrive on the use of big data. The BMWi also encourages SMEs to see positive aspects in sharing data. Dr. Andreas Goerdeler, Head of the “National and European Digital Agenda” sub-department, announced that new ways of sharing, collecting and storing data for research and application purposes would be important topics in the German government’s AI strategy, which is expected to be published next week.
Photo above l-r: Dr. Boris Nikolai Konrad (brain researcher and neuroscientist at the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging in Nijmegen, Netherlands), Dr. Andrea Goerdeler (Head of the “National and European Digital Agenda” sub-department of the BMWi), Dr. Oliver Grün (President of BITMi, the European Digital SME Alliance and digitalHUB Aachen), Prof. Martin Ruskowski (Chair of Machine Tools and Controls at TU Kaiserslautern and Head of Innovative Factory Systems Research at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence) , Kristine Lütke (Federal Chairwoman of Wirtschaftsjunioren Deutschland e. V.), Alexa von Busse (moderator) at the panel discussion at the SME Digital Congress at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Photos below: Germany’s 25 Mittelstand 4.0 Competence Centres present themselves at their stands and take the opportunity to network; Dr. Boris Nikolai Konrad (brain researcher and neuroscientist at the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging in Nijmegen, Netherlands) during his keynote speech; stand of the Mittelstand 4.0 Competence Centre Hamburg; stand of the Mittelstand 4.0 Competence Centre Rostock. Mittelstand Digital Congress at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. November 7, 2018.
Photo credits: aconium GmbH/Robert Seifert