Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now the key driver for optimising processes and products, whether in automated production, smart health technology or modern robotics.

The technological breadth of AI: opportunities for the economy and society

AI is fundamentally changing business value creation processes and large parts of our society. It offers the potential to optimise processes, products and services across all industries. To take advantage of these opportunities, a nuanced understanding of the underlying technologies is required, as AI covers a broad spectrum that goes well beyond machine learning, which is often used synonymously today. While classic, symbolic AI systems are based on explicit logical rules to accurately map expert knowledge, machine learning has established itself as the most prominent sub-discipline at present. Here, algorithms are enabled to independently identify complex patterns in large amounts of data.

Within this field, deep learning, inspired by the structure of neural networks, is a major focus of current development. Driven largely by the availability of big data and the development of specialised high-performance hardware, modern architectures such as transformer and diffusion models in particular have enabled breakthroughs in speech and image processing as well as in generative AI. This portfolio is complemented by approaches such as reinforcement learning, in which systems learn optimal action strategies through interaction with their environment, a decisive factor in robotics and autonomous process control, for example. For successful implementation, it is therefore essential not to blindly follow trends, but to choose from this methodological diversity the solution that combines technological efficiency with real business benefits.

Two success factors are critical for Germany as a business location: firstly, the rapid integration of this technological diversity into companies across all value chains and, secondly, the accelerated transfer of research results into practice. In addition, non-technological aspects that are inextricably linked to technical development must also be taken into account. These include, in particular, legal and regulatory frameworks, for example with regard to the use of personal data, as well as ethical guidelines and social acceptance.

AI in healthcare

AI is considered a key technology, particularly in healthcare. One major area of application is the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. This is because AI-supported tools can analyse extensive data sets, detect anomalies and thus identify diseases more quickly than conventional methods. Even vocal biomarkers can now be evaluated using AI and used to diagnose and treat diseases such as depression, anxiety disorders and heart failure.

Other areas of application include hands-free operation of surgical equipment and teaching robotics via intelligent voice control systems. AI also classifies medical history texts and facilitates the creation of doctor's letters. In the home environment, too, AI-based digital health solutions that patients can use in the form of apps, for example, are helping to improve healthcare.

AI often processes a large amount of health data. This raises a number of ethical, legal and social questions. It is therefore important that technologies using AI are researched and developed in a particularly responsible manner. This requires cooperation between numerous scientific disciplines such as information and communication technology, robotics, cognitive science, law, engineering, design, psychology, ethics and social sciences. The interoperability of the technical components used is equally crucial. After all, the potential of AI can only be fully exploited if all parties involved can share the data collected.

There is some catching up to do when it comes to AI applications for nursing care. One reason for this could be that it is more challenging to convert nursing knowledge into structured, machine-readable data that can be used to train AI.

Advising, Analysing, Promoting and Organising

As partners for innovation policy and technology consulting, our experts have been supporting the entire spectrum of artificial intelligence and the underlying information and communication technologies for many years. We support policymakers, researchers and industry in shaping the framework conditions for the successful use of AI and provide decision-makers with comprehensive advice on challenges such as IT security, the explainability of algorithms, trustworthy electronic systems, data sovereignty and law. Beyond the development of sustainable business models and competence-oriented educational landscapes, we use dialogue and strategy processes to answer complex innovation policy questions in an evidence-based manner. Through in-depth studies and accompanying research, we analyse the prerequisites and consequences of AI use, thereby sharpening the basis for decision-making for an economy and society that combines technological excellence with ethical and legal certainty.