No. 111/2020

33 HUMBOLDT KOSMOS 111/2020 Text  LILO BERG Illustrations  KARO RIGAUD AI IN GERMANY – A FAST-LEARNING SYSTEM German research has a lot going for it in the field of artificial intelligence. To ensure this continues, the Federal Government has launched a national AI strategy. It includes the establishment of up to thirty Alexander von Humboldt Professorships that will be filled in the next few years. O nline platforms suggest what our next purchase might be, Siri & Co. talk to us, computers help doctors, for example in diagnosing skin cancer. Artificial intelligence has already taken its place in many areas of our everyday lives. And other applications will follow. The world is currently experiencing an unprecedented boom in AI, driven by ever-faster computers, more sophisticated algorithms and exponentially growing data sets. Thanks to the speed of technological progress, AI researchers could see the dreams they have been cherishing since the 1950s come true: to build machines that solve problems themselves, learn new things automatically and respond flexibly to novel condi- tions – a development that has long since been taking shape and that will change every aspect of people’s future lives around the world. In the global contest, Germany must hold its own in the AI market and ensure that its indus- trial base is fit for that future. At the same time, every indi- vidual’s civil liberties, privacy rights and freedom of choice must be protected. Against this backdrop, the Federal Government pub- lished its first national AI strategy in autumn 2018, setting out the general conditions for the technological megatrend and seeking to drive development. It envisages, amongst other things, connecting and expanding the centres of excellence spread around the country that specialise in › FOCUS ON GERMANY