No. 111/2020

32 HUMBOLDT KOSMOS 111/2020 FOCUS ON GERMANY AI research and teaching (see map of Germany). The declared aim of the policy is that Germany should be a top location for artificial intelligence whilst AI Made in Ger- many becomes a quality label. In the scientific funding field, Germany is looking to fill up to 30 Alexander von Humboldt Professorships for Artificial Intelligence in the next five years. Apart from the technological side of AI, they are designed to embrace the socio-economic, ethical and legal aspects, as well. HIGHLY SOUGHT-AFTER AI EXPERTS Top-class AI experts are few and far between and coveted everywhere. But there are good reasons for choosing Ger- many: “There are a lot of strong research personalities working here who are keen to foster stimulating collabo- rations,” comments robotics expert, Oliver Brock, who returned to Germany from the United States ten years ago (see “Berlin”). “Our strengths are excellent basic research and the fantastic ecosystem of applied research,” says Dort- mund computer science professor, Katharina Morik (see “Rhein/Ruhr”). AI pioneer, Wolfgang Wahlster, empha- sises the close links to business: “If you want to put artifi- cial intelligence into practice, Germany is the place to be” (see “DFKI”). And Holger Hanselka, President of Karls- ruhe Institute of Technology, underscores the importance of the wealth of data on topics like climate, health and the environment at research institutes here: “They are real trump cards for AI researchers.” Unlike the United States and China, Germany and Europe have chosen a third path that consciously builds on data protection, sustainability and citizen participation. Basically, it is about creating a better, fairer world with the aid of AI, the politicians state in their visionary speeches. AI IN GERMANY For the online version we chan- ged the layout from a take-out centerfold to normal pages.