Artificial intelligence for the common good

The event kicked off with a round table discussion on Tuesday afternoon, entitled ‘AI for the common good’. Representatives from the worlds of education and business met at a lofty height for an intensive exchange. Moderated by Clark Parsons from the Innovate Europe Foundation, delegations from the University of Cambridge, Heliad AG, the IESE Business School, Lauda from the Heilbronn-Franken region, appliedAI Institute for Europe gGmbH and ISO discussed the framework conditions for sustainable AI development.

Daniel Gottschald, Managing Director of ‘Die TUM Campus Heilbronn gGmbH’, put it succinctly: “As an ecosystem of excellent institutions, we have to define missions that positively shape social change. To do that, we have to join forces.” The need for a flexible European network and targeted financial support to drive sustainable AI solutions was emphasized.

The ‘Heilbronn Model’ was considered a possible blueprint for a networked innovation landscape. It is characterized by the fact that it brings different actors together instead of separating them. Daniel Gottschald called on everyone to “be courageous and build bridges.” The intensive discussion could have gone on for hours, and so it was agreed that the round table would meet again. Gottschald called on everyone involved: “Let’s build places of hope.” At the invitation of the IESE Business School, the round table is to meet again soon in Barcelona.

The role of AI in medium-sized companies

The next highlight was the panel discussion ‘The AI Journey: Empowering SMEs to Thrive in the Digital Age’ at the AI House on Thursday evening. The discussion, in which representatives from science and industry shared their perspectives, was moderated by Dr Sarah Schwab-Jung, Head of the TUM Campus Heilbronn office.

Timo Gessmann (CTO of Schunk) and Dr Gunther Wobser (CEO of Lauda) illustrated how AI is already influencing SMEs today. Schunk is actively integrating AI into applications, while Lauda is experimenting with its own ChatGPT model. Gunther Wobser’s goal: to launch the first lucrative AI-based products on the market in a year. SMEs are willing to innovate.

Prof James Landay (Stanford) and Prof Helmut Krcmar (TUM Campus Heilbronn) emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Krcmar stressed: “To build bridges, you need two ends and the parties should meet in the middle.” Landay saw opportunities in the fact that more targeted research and development are now possible after the initial AI euphoria. Networks and ecosystems are breeding grounds for ideas.

Dr Rüdiger Eichin (SAP Lab Munich) made it clear that the winners in the market will not be those who wait for the next big AI breakthrough, but those “who already have a command of the reliability of AI today”. Speed is crucial for sustainable success.

With its initiatives and discussions in Davos, the TUM Campus Heilbronn not only pursued TUM’s mission of being a global knowledge exchange and promoting the exchange between business and science – it also actively took on social responsibility in this way. We look forward to the next dialogues in Davos, Heilbronn and worldwide, as well as to many regional and cross-regional projects in 2025.