Due to the high number of participants, the event "AI –­ my competitive advantage of tomorrow" was moved from the Schunk headquarters in Lauffen to the more spacious branch in Brackenheim-Hausen. The aim of the morning was to break down people’s reservations about AI and build networks for better use of the technology. The main message from the very first presentation by Schunk CTO Timo Gessmann: "Be brave and just try it. Play with it." This refers to AI, of course, and is aimed at companies, which are empowered, advised and supported by the cooperation partners.

Artificial intelligence around every corner

To this end, all the AI experts have set up stands in a separate room. Dr. Leonard Przybilla and Bettina Berscheid are at the TUM Campus Heilbronn stand to provide inquisitive minds with information on degree courses, further education and cooperation opportunities. In recent years, the Heilbronn ecosystem “Bildungscampus” has developed into an engine for research and development in the field of digital transformation, and TUM is right in the middle of it with its campus. "The TUM Campus Heilbronn is the local point of contact for the global exchange of knowledge," says Przybilla, describing the university’s role.

Two presentations are also on the agenda for the day: Dr. Robert Rost from Xactools provides insights into automated quality assurance with image-processing AI. In the lobby on the first floor, participants receive an overview of current AI tools and an outlook on future developments by Prof. Dr. Nicolaj Stache from the Hochschule Heilbronn. Here, too, both speakers give participants tips to take away with them: Just experiment!

Visions take shape

The morning is rounded off with a tour of Schunk’s CoLab, where feasibility tests of automation processes will be impressively demonstrated. Many guests are sure to take one common insight back to their companies: AI — ­we’re trying it out now.