From 16.-17.04.2024, the third Saxon AI congress (Sächsischer KI-Kongress 2024) took place in Chemnitz. The congress focussed on relevant AI technologies and how they can be used with real benefits for companies and society. ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig was happy to contribute to this broad and interesting program

Program

16.04.2024

The congress was opened with a welcoming speech by Oliver Schenk, Chief of the State Chancellery and State Minister. During the first day, a number of discussion rounds took place, concerning the topics:

• Interim assessment of the AI strategy for the Free State of Saxony
• Companies and AI – from idea to success
• Saxony as a high-tech location
• How and where can we acquire the skills to use AI successfully in everyday working and school life?

Furthermore, 14 best practice examples on the use of Artificial Intelligence were presented.

Dr. Gesine Märtens (Sächsisches Staatsministerium der Justiz und für Demokratie, Europa und Gleichstellung) and Prof. Dr. Birte Platow (ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig) presented a concept for an AI Ethics Advisory Board. Recommendations for this concept were developed by our principal investigators Prof. Dr. Birte Platow, Prof. Dr. Anne Lauber-Rönsberg, and Prof. Dr. Christian Schwarke, which has then been presented to the Saxon State Government. Building on these recommendations, an AI Ethics Advisory Board is to be established until the end of 2024, consisting of experts in technology, law, business, media and ethics. Those experts shall address topics related to the use of AI in the sectors of public administration, police, justice, and education. By that, the political decision-making process on how and in which areas AI should be deployed will be supported. The advisory board is to work transparently and report publicly on its findings.

17.04.2024

On 17.04.2024, the second day of the congress started with a keynote by Prof. Dr. Günther Hasinger, who introduced the Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik to the audience and highlighted the cooperation with TUD Dresden University of Technology and ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig.

The keynote was followed by the discussion round „Thinking artificial intelligence across borders“ with the participants Prof. Dr. Wolfgang E. Nagel (ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig), Prof. Dr. Maciej Piasecki (Wroclaw University of Science and Technology), and Petr Kameník (BiQ Group). In this discussion round, our director illustrated the importance of the german AI centers in a national and international context as well as the necessity of international collaborations. While Prof. Maciej Piasecki and Roman Olejnikov highlighted the conditions of AI research in Poland and the Czech Republic with significant differences to the situation in Germany and Saxony, all speakers agreed that european cooperations in science and industry are necessary to compete internationally, especially with regard to big american tech companies.

The program of the second day also included workshops on the following topics:

• Promotion of data-driven/AI technologies for SMEs
• Unlocking Insights: AI, Data and the Power of Sharing – Overcoming Challenges and Creating Synergies
• Foundation Models – From research to business
• AI applications from the Southwest Saxony region – Successful use of AI in companies and institutions
• Successfully introducing AI: Storyline for companies ‘from small to big’
• AI and medicine: a powerful team?

Furthermore, colleagues from our team in Leipzig joined the booth KMI-Leipzig of Institut für Angewandte Informatik e. V.

Sächsischer KI-Kongress 2024

The Saxon AI Congress is organized by Sächsische Staatskanzlei and has already taken place in 2021 and 2023 before. This year’s congress took place at Carlowitz Congresscenter Chemnitz. Building on the technological advances in the field of AI that have generated great enthusiasm in recent years, the congress discussed how AI can accompany and support people in their everyday lives. More information is available on the official website of Sächsischer KI-Kongress.