AI – The Art of Intelligent Utilization

The Pope in a shiny down coat. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz doing a somersault over the lectern in the German Bundestag. These are examples of deceptively realistic fake photos and videos generated with the help of Artificial Intelligence, whose numbers are exploding. It's therefore understandable that many people currently equate AI more with manipulation and danger. Disinformation through AI is seen as the greatest global risk in the medium term, even ahead of extreme weather and armed conflicts.

It's understandable that attempts are being made to put a stop to excesses - for example, with the European Union's "AI Act", the world's first set of rules for dealing with Artificial Intelligence, which has now come into force. However, as important as ethical principles and responsible use of AI are, it's equally important to make the regulatory framework practicable and innovation-friendly, given the extreme fast-paced nature of the tech world. The rise of the Chinese chatbot DeepSeek, which is challenging the incumbents from Silicon Valley, shows us just how quickly circumstances can change.

At this point, however, I want to talk less about the risks and focus more on the opportunities of Artificial Intelligence and digitalization as a whole. Particularly in relation to Germany, which has a level of digitalization that isn't exactly conducive to its endangered rank as the third-largest industrial nation.

Germany only mediocre in digitalization

Although 95 percent of the population is now online, and great expectations are associated with digitalization, especially in areas such as education, health, mobility, and climate protection, the country ranks at best in the middle in various international comparisons. This is a finding we cannot be content with.

My hope is that after the federal election, more drive will come into key areas of action: strengthening the digital competencies of society, providing a functioning infrastructure and digital administration, and promoting digital transformation and innovation.

We need to hit the digital accelerator, especially for our industry, which is at risk of falling behind. According to a current study, many companies are still far from exploiting the great potential of Artificial Intelligence, which can increase productivity by almost 20 percent on average. The authors speak to my heart when they describe AI as a "once-in-a-century opportunity" for Germany.

At Covestro, we're doing everything we can to seize this opportunity. That's why we recently included AI in our corporate strategy. We see it as a unique driver of innovation and engine of growth, and want to make it a fundamental part of our way of working, decision-making, and creating value for our customers and society. But this also requires the right attitude: not seeing AI as a threat, but as an enrichment, as a helpful assistant.

Such a mindset should be transferred to the entire country so that it can catch up as a high-tech nation. After all, the basic prerequisites are apparently not bad. At least, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has certified: Germany has a good starting position in the global competition for AI, especially in research and with its human-centered approach, which sets global standards. Now it's up to us to run with it.

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