AIxIA: Franco-German conference on AI and sustainability
“AI for the environment” – How can artificial intelligence (AI) contribute to a greener world? How can it simultaneously drive economic growth for the benefit of people? What sustainable AI solutions are start-ups currently working on? And what will soon be reality and what is still a distant dream of the future? The second edition of the Franco-German AI conference aims to provide answers to these questions. AIxIA where everything will revolve around the topic of “AI and sustainability” this Thursday.
Due to the corona pandemic, the exchange of experts from the two neighboring countries will take place virtually on December 3, 2020. Starting at 10 a.m., numerous speakers from science and industry will provide important impulses in panel discussions, lectures or by presenting concrete use cases. Among others, Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Economic Affairs Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut will give a welcoming address. In addition, the virtual networking break with start-up pitches will provide exciting insights and personal exchange.
Premiere of AIxIA 2019 was a complete success
“With intelligent systems, processes in agriculture and industrial production, for example, can be made much more sustainable than before,” says co-organizer Josephine Simon. She is responsible for coordinating the Digital Hub for Applied AI at CyberForum e. V., which is organizing the conference together with France HUB IA. This was also impressively demonstrated by the practical examples at the AIxIA premiere in October 2019. Back then, almost 300 developers met at the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe. “It was a real success for the premiere of a specialist conference,” says Josephine Simon. There was therefore no question of canceling the event in 2020 due to coronavirus. After all, the ongoing climate change is not taking a break during the pandemic. This is why innovative concepts for using resources as sparingly as possible need to be developed and tested for their practicability, especially during the crisis.
Focus on energy and agriculture
The AIxIA 2020 organization team sees great potential in the energy and agricultural sectors. There is just as much room for improvement in the generation of electricity and heat as there is in consumption. In agriculture, artificial intelligence can be used to optimize the use of fertilizers in particular. This saves farmers money, achieves better harvest results and protects the soil and therefore the environment. After several consecutive summers of drought, the focus is also on the irrigation of fields. Here too, data analysis using AI can assess the situation in the fields and increase efficiency. In production, Simon believes that applications from the field of artificial intelligence are also an effective means of increasing efficiency and reducing energy consumption at the same time.
Startups are the drivers of AI in Karlsruhe
Start-ups are an important driver for Simon in the further development of artificial intelligence. In Karlsruhe alone, there are currently around 30 companies in the start-up phase that deal with artificial intelligence, data analysis and machine learning. “These companies are creative and innovative,” says Simon. However, founders need the support of established experts when it comes to the economic orientation of their start-ups. This is why personal exchange, as offered by events such as AIxIA and the networks of the Digital Hubs, between young and experienced entrepreneurs is an important building block in the further development of innovative technical systems to market maturity.
On the event website you will find detailed information about the congress, the complete program and registration for the free, English-language event. The AIxIA is a joint event organized by the Karlsruhe Digital Hub for Applied Artificial Intelligence and the France HUB IA organized from Paris. It receives support from the Initiative karlsruhe.digital. The Digital Hub Karlsruhe is organized by the DIZ | Digital Innovation CenterCyberForum e. V. and the FZI Research Center for Information Technology and is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Housing BW.