Leading the way: courage, expertise and seal of approval for the future with AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will shape all areas of our lives in the future. With the current technological leaps in large-scale language models and robotics, many questions also arise: What do we want to use AI for? How can responsible use of AI be promoted? And how can Germany and Europe catch up in the international competition for AI? Plattform Lernende Systeme discussed these questions with more than 200 guests at its conference "Pioneering: Fit for the Future with Artificial Intelligence" on June 14 in Berlin.

The success of the large-scale language models marks a milestone in the development and, in particular, the broad-based application of artificial intelligence. We should seize this historic moment and exploit the opportunities of AI with courage and the expertise available to consolidate Germany's international position. In his keynote, Jaroslaw Kutylowski, founder and CEO of the Cologne-based AI Unicorn DeepL set the scene for the discussions and impulses at the conference.

In demand: AI competencies and participation of the population

While gold-rush sentiment prevails among some, AI worries many people. What do deepfakes and AI-faked images mean for our democracy and journalism? Will the new AI applications cost us jobs? And how do we deal with it when AI systems discriminate against people? Different paths to safe and fair AI were discussed by experts in six panels. Margaret Mitchell from Hugging Face outlined one of them in her keynote speech: ethical issues must already be taken into account during the development of AI. More diverse development teams could, for example, avoid social prejudices finding their way into AI systems.

Seal of approval for quality AI

In the current debate, there are calls for the regulation of AI. With the AI Act, the European Union is already working on a binding set of regulations. Jan Wörner, co-chair of Plattform Lernende Systeme and acatech president, also spoke in favor of certifying AI applications in order to be able to control their potential risks: In this way, he said, a seal of approval could be awarded to ensure the quality of AI systems and create trust.

"What we need is active sponsorship and participation of the population in shaping artificial intelligence," Wörner said. After all, "We will only be able to meet the challenges of the future if we are also prepared to implement innovations. We must not forget to leverage the potential of AI out of sheer fear." Jointly addressing the opportunities and risks of AI requires a fundamental knowledge of the technology. "Computer science and AI skills in particular must be promoted among children and young people," says Sabine Döring, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

AI to try out

In addition to the discussions on stage, the conference participants also took a look at the practical side of AI: In the accompanying exhibition, they were able to try out AI exhibits for themselves - from delivery robots to AI-supported measurement of heart and breathing rates to a maintenance app for trains.

Recordings of the conference, presentations and images will soon be available at https://www.plattform-lernende-systeme.de/plattformkonferenz-juni-2023.html.

Further information:

Linda Treugut / Birgit Obermeier
Press and Public Relations

Lernende Systeme – Germany's Platform for Artificial Intelligence
Managing Office | c/o acatech
Karolinenplatz 4 | D - 80333 Munich

T.: +49 89/52 03 09-54 /-51
M.: +49 172/144 58-47 /-39
presse@plattform-lernende-systeme.de