AIxIA in Karlsruhe: First Franco-German AI conference with plenty of impetus for business and politics
Can problems caused by climate change be solved with the help of artificial intelligence (AI)? If Ingmar Wolff has his way, definitely. The founder of the Karlsruhe-based start-up HelioPas AI has developed a system for the efficient irrigation of agricultural land. The trick to the story: by automatically analyzing weather and soil data, water and pesticides can be applied as needed. “This also allows people in agriculture to reduce costs,” emphasized Wolff in the presentation of his business idea at the Franco-German AI conference AIxIA 2019 on 1. and October 2 at the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe. Especially during the last two hot summers, the months-long drought caused problems for agriculture. And if in future – as is already practiced in other countries – the use of water for agriculture is also rationed in Germany during longer periods of drought, a modern agricultural business can no longer do without the use of digital systems to increase efficiency.
“We are completely satisfied with the premiere”
The two-day conference with over 250 participants from the two neighboring countries and numerous keynotes and workshops also focused on the use of AI in companies, technology, mobility and society as well as the development of innovative technologies. In the end, not only the participants but also the members of the organization team were satisfied with the first Franco-German specialist event on the trending topic of AI. “We only started planning this congress a few months before the official kick-off and are completely satisfied with how the premiere went,” emphasized CyberForum Managing Director David Hermanns. For the Digital Innovation Center (DIZ ), which is supported by CyberForum and the Research Center for Information Technology (FZI), it was extremely important that the premiere of AIxIA took place in the fan-shaped city close to the border. “We already have a high level of expertise in the development of innovative AI solutions here. What’s more, with the ZKM, CyberForum and good transport connections, Karlsruhe also has the ideal conditions as a permanent location for a Franco-German congress,” says Hermanns. Thanks to the many start-ups and the numerous degree courses in the field of AI, Karlsruhe is also very dynamic when it comes to trend topics such as automation, digitalization and machine learning. There is also the industry leader Blue Yonder in the fan-shaped city. However, Hermanns believes that the activities to promote new technologies do not go far enough. “A lot more money should actually be invested in the development of AI,” says Hermanns, adding that both politics and business have a duty to do so.
“Many companies are still working too slowly with AI”
At the end of the two-day conference, Hermanns was by no means alone in calling for companies and politicians to focus more strongly on AI. “Many developments in the field of AI are currently being made by Amazon, Google or Facebook. And only a few German companies, such as Bosch, are currently developing their own standards,” said Alexander Mädche from the Institute of Information Management and Marketing at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), referring to the increasing influence of large international corporations. German companies therefore need to pool their resources better and invest more time and money in the development of innovative technologies. “Unfortunately, many companies are still working far too slowly,” complained Mädche, adding that even promising approaches are sometimes talked out of existence and scrapped before being launched on the market.
“Ethics also play an important role in AI”
However, Mädche appealed to the conference participants, saying that developers must always bear in mind the impact of the technologies on society when developing new systems. “Ethics also play an important role in artificial intelligence,” emphasized Mädche. However, factors such as justice, sustainability or added value for society cannot simply be integrated into the systems through special codes when programming AI applications. “That’s why you first have to get the technologies up and running and then analyze user behavior very carefully,” advised Mädche. After all, user behavior is now also a real problem with communication platforms such as Facebook.
There is still room for improvement in the funding amounts
Green MEP Anna Christmann called on European countries to develop a common approach to the use of AI. “One of the major problems in Europe at the moment is that many countries are developing their own strategies and claiming leadership. This does not make sense and the individual players should therefore network better,” said Christmann. A cross-border specialist conference on a trend topic such as AI is certainly an effective means of networking the individual players. On the other hand, there are some promising approaches for the establishment of AI competence centers, at least at a local level, according to Christmann, and a wide-ranging network is also currently being established in Karlsruhe on the basis of a healthy IT economy and with many innovative players. “Of course, politicians must now also invest a little more in expanding the necessary infrastructure,” said the former office manager of Baden-Württemberg’s Science Minister Theresia Bauer. The funding of several competence centers in Baden-Württemberg is certainly a step in the right direction. “But there is certainly still room for improvement in terms of funding amounts,” said Christmann.
“In future, we also need to develop a welcoming culture and make it attractive for people to live and work in Europe,” appealed Antoine Blondeau, founder and managing director of the consulting firm Alpha Intelligence Capital. Otherwise, the best brains would emigrate to the USA in the long term because of the better pay and good career opportunities or only work for major US corporations in Europe.