Finally, it’s now official. The Artificial Intelligence Center (ARIC) e.V. has been founded in Hamburg as a cross-sector initiative from business, science and politics. ARIC is an official initiative of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg in the Northern Metropolitan Region in the area of Artificial Intelligence and we have been one of its founding members from the very outset.
The aim is to establish an interdisciplinary, application-oriented center of competence for artificial intelligence in Germany’s Northern Metropolitan Region. The association consists of state and private (technical) universities, non-university research institutions and companies of various sizes, ranging from large companies such as Lufthansa Industry Solutions GmbH & Co. KG, medium-sized companies represented by Pilot Hamburg GmbH, and start-ups such as zapliance. I will briefly and concisely present what exactly the goals and tasks of the association are below.
The market research company Gartner has already developed its own Hype Cycle to illustrate individual developments in the area of Artificial Intelligence. At the beginning of the cycle, there is a technological trigger, which develops its hype very steeply up to a peak of inflated expectations, before a technology falls into the trough of disillusionment. Although the coverage of the technology will have declined considerably at this point, a realistic view of the technology leads it back up the “slope of enlightenment” to the “plateau of productivity”.
All the technologies listed show that artificial intelligence has long since ceased to be just a buzzword or hype, but is developing in many respects and so needs be addressed sooner rather than later so as not to lose pace with developments internationally.
The purpose of ARIC’s objectives are to make clear how this can be made to happen with the resources and know-how available in the metropolitan region:
- Sustainable knowledge transfer and competence acquisition
- Simplifying access to Artificial Intelligence and Data Science
- Promotion of Hamburg as a business location
- Recruitment and development of skilled workers
- Pacesetter for AI activities and trends in the metropolitan region
The role of the association is thus to function as the central point of contact for all AI activities being conducted in the Hamburg area across all sectors and topics. By bringing business, science and politics together, ARIC provides Hamburg’s stakeholders in the field of AI with easy access to competencies available in the field of AI and is there to act as a mediator and supporter on individual AI development plans and projects.
The association’s other responsibilities include:
- Interdisciplinary research, dissemination and application of AI-related know-how
- Further education and information in the field of AI
- Development of local and international networks in the field of AI (e.g. cooperation with Tech-Hotspots, e.g. Estonia, Israel and Canada)
As a provider of software which makes use of extensive data science and machine learning methods, we at zapliance are delighted to be part of this initiative and to be actively involved in shaping the future of AI in Hamburg.
