Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) in Aachen is one of the largest technical universities in Germany, and Dr Julia Mann has been Managing Director of its prestigious Centre for Artificial Intelligence since 2022
IFA International caught up with Dr Julia Mann for an exclusive interview following her talk on AI and the latest related trends at IFA yesterday.
Why do you believe it’s important to explore the topic of AI and its implications at IFA? AI is a technology that is not bound to one sector but affects all economical, corporate, and societal fields. At first, we think of AI being used in industry, for example in production, yet we already use AI on a daily basis. One advantage of AI is the personalisation and customisation of products and services, and this can also be incorporated into consumer electronics. However, it is important to know and understand the benefits of AI but also the limitations and the risks of this powerful, not yet fully-explored technology.
The human-AI interaction through consumer products requires a safe, dependable and sustainable AI, that respects our European values and adheres to European laws.
Intelligent robots can be used in different fields such as healthcare, mobility solutions, but also social/public areas, hence the consumer electronics industry will highly benefit from it and be part of it.
What are some of the promising developments in AI at the moment that could have an impact on the consumer electronics industry? One of the current trends is bringing AI into real life and a good example is the AI-based robotics or embodied AI: robots that interact with humans, as opposed to being in a controlled environment for example in industrial production. These intelligent robots can be used in different fields such as healthcare, mobility solutions, but also social/public areas, hence the consumer electronics industry will highly benefit from it and be part of it.
What is the main message you hope the audience took away from your panel discussion yesterday? I strongly believe that we should not focus ONLY on the applications of AI. Instead, researchers and companies across Europe should join forces and develop models that conform with the European values and regulations. We have a strong expertise in foundation models throughout Europe, however we need more resources to develop our own models, using our own data that represents European culture, values, and beliefs.
From research to reality
Dr Julia Mann was on the Innovation Stage yesterday for the panel discussion “AI Platform powered by Handelsblatt,” where one of Germany’s leading business newspapers brought together some of the country’s visionary minds to identify the further potential in AI. Along with the other panellists, Dr Mann discussed the gap between research and bringing new developments to market through industry. The panellists agreed that typically there is a gap of about 5-7 years before industry takes up new concepts that need to be proven through research, a timeline that perhaps should be shortened, especially when it comes to artificial intelligence. “In AI, the clock is running a little faster. So we really can’t wait 5-7 years,” said Dr Mann. She claimed that start-ups, rather than established industry, appear to be more willing to take risks, and adopt new developments quicker. “It takes a little longer for the industry to accept new things, which is understandable,” she said, although larger companies are pushing to speed up the process and adopt new tech faster.
This Website is proudly made by CLEVERDIS team for IFA Management GmbH.
CLEVERDIS — 439 Rte de la Seds, 13127 Vitrolles — FRANCE
https://cleverdis.com
if you have questions or if you are interested in our work please feel free to contact us
