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By Nikolaus Gruendahl
Chemnitz. Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently on everyone's lips. For many people, the new technology is a game changer that offers great opportunities. For others, however, it is also a threat. Will the technology replace me? Is my data protected? The debate surrounding ChatGPT shows how AI companies such as Open AI are putting our morals to the test. These and other questions will be discussed at the third AI Congress of the Free State of Bavaria, which takes place in Chemnitz on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs, Martin Dulig (SPD), considers the state to be "excellently positioned" in the development and promotion of artificial intelligence (AI). This is according to the study Artificial Intelligence in Saxony 2024, which Dulig presented on Tuesday before the start of the actual AI congress. It is intended to provide a comprehensive picture of Saxony's AI landscape for the first time.
According to the study, almost 200 AI companies are currently based in Saxony, around 120 more than five years ago. Around three quarters of these are headquartered in the state. Dresden is the clear "AI hotspot", as 43 percent of Saxony's AI companies are located there. There are also 18 networks involved in the promotion of AI, according to the report.
This high proportion of companies in the state capital, but also in Leipzig, is primarily due to the strong scientific location of Dresden and Leipzig, it said. In a nationwide comparison, Saxony performs very well in the field of AI research with more than 160 university professorships, non-university institutes and research associations. Almost 60 percent of these research institutions focus on applied research, particularly on algorithms, data and AI hardware. Eight universities offered 48 degree programs with AI content. Another important factor boosting AI companies in Saxony is industrial production, for example in the automotive, semiconductor and robotics sectors.
According to Dulig, the use of AI applications is necessary as demographic change will drastically reduce the working population. The technology is "more of a job guarantor than a job engine", emphasized Saxony's Digital Minister. In addition, international competitors are using AI solutions to reduce costs. For competitive reasons alone, you have to keep up.
Head of the State Chancellery Oliver Schenk (CDU) drew particular attention to ethical issues in his opening speech at the congress. The question is no longer whether artificial intelligence will profoundly change the world, but how. "In five years' time, everything will have something to do with AI," said the Minister of State. What matters most now is speed and giving people security. The opportunities for a better life must be presented more clearly. One example is the early detection of cancer and other life-threatening diseases, which can be detected more quickly by evaluating data using AI.
One challenge, however, is to keep up with the rapid pace of technological development. To this end, the state government wants to set up an advisory board for digital ethics. Schenk and Justice Minister Katja Meier (Greens) had already presented the plans for an advisory board for digital ethics at the end of last week. This would make Saxony the first federal state to introduce such an advisory board. It would advise the state government on how to deal with AI.
Sentences still have to affect people
The project has now been presented by State Secretary Gesine Mertens (Greens) at the AI Congress. The advisory board is to be set up by the end of the year and will have seven members. The advisory activities will mainly revolve around the use of artificial intelligence in administration. Justice, education and the police are all areas where AI solutions are increasingly being used. Justice Minister Meier had already made it clear that AI could not take over the core tasks of judges and public prosecutors. Judgments must be made by humans. In the USA, AI is also used to assess the likelihood of offenders reoffending. Such solutions would not be used in Bavaria either, according to Meier.
Everyone in Chemnitz agreed that the opportunities offered by AI are enormous. However, the technology must be reconciled with the freedom, security and human dignity of citizens. How this can be achieved must be negotiated further.
