What is the importance of AI?
At the beginning of May, the KI NRW Future Center was asked to take part in one of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation NRW (FES) organized event entitled: ““Shaping the opportunity of the century – transformation workshop in the Rhenish district” to participate. It took place as a discussion forum for local politicians, works councils, students, entrepreneurs, but also interested citizens in the local restaurant “Aktivermann” in Grevenbroich. The aim was, against the background of the coal phase-out that has already been decided, to think about the structural change that is coming to this region and its diverse effects on work and industry and to look for new potential for the future.
The KI NRW Future Center fulfilled the task of giving a keynote speech and then moderating the discussion of one of the four working forums for the approximately 60 participants on the topic “AI and digitalization – How do we leverage the potential for the business location in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss” to take over. At this point we would like to once again express our thanks to the organizers of this event, in particular Alexander Bodenstab from the FES, and for the committed cooperation of everyone involved.
In the impulse lecture, the structure, tasks and offers of the Future Center KI NRW were first made clear to the participants. This was followed by a short introduction to artificial intelligence (AI), using image and speech recognition models to explain what AI is, what AI can do and what opportunities, limitations and risks should be associated with AI.
In the subsequent forum discussion, the possibilities of using AI for the required structural change in the affected region were discussed. The discussants, some of whom were close to unions, saw AI primarily as a new technology that threatened jobs. The crucial question was how it could be possible – also or especially with the help of AI – to obtain follow-up jobs for the less well-trained employees in the region who are therefore most affected by structural change. Various qualification concepts were discussed and demands were made that large, newly established companies such as Microsoft should also be obliged to create jobs for less educated employees in addition to highly qualified employees.
In the panel discussion that followed in a large group, the SPD representatives who were exclusively represented there, especially the NRW state parliament members Lena Teschlade criticizes the way in which the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia wants to bring forward the coal phase-out – apparently without Plan B – from 2038 to 2030: “If you get out, you also have to know where you’re getting in,” said Teschlade. A concrete proposal on how to orchestrate structural change in a more socially responsible way was not discussed, but it was clearly emphasized that the participation of people in companies and the region is fundamental for trust in and approval of structural change and thus for the success of the transformation. For clear control, a clear contact person in the Prime Minister’s team is also desirable. “If competencies and responsibilities are not bundled and clear, people have the feeling that everyone is responsible but nothing happens. This leads to anger and aversion,” he said Martin SchultzChairman of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and former President of the EU Parliament, Schulz continued to advise all politicians involved to deal with the upcoming challenges “honestly and sincerely”. According to Schulz from his own experience, these challenges are part of the region’s natural DNA, which gives him hope that the region will also master this new structural change well.
Overall, the transformation workshop conveyed a positive outlook, taking the above-mentioned requirements into account. This will show to what extent the use of digitalization and AI can help to successfully support the necessary structural change.
If you are also interested in expanding digitalization or would like to know how AI can be used sensibly to address structural challenges, please feel free to contact us.
*Photos: Copyright © FES/State Office NRW/Gerhard Müller
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