Digital Transformation

Plattform Lernende Systeme

Be it in Internet searches, personalised recommendations from streaming services or satnavs, artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a growing role in our everyday lives, the workplace and society as a whole. It is driving digitalisation and providing companies with huge opportunities to introduce new business models. But in order to use AI, we need to develop new skills. And the technology also raises a number of social, regulatory, ethical and security questions. A broad-based dialogue is key to finding good answers to these questions.

The Plattform Lernende Systeme (PLS) supports this dialogue. Established by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in 2017, and based at acatech, the network brings together leading experts from science, industry, government and civil society organisations. The platform’s 200 or so members participate in thematic working groups where they discuss the conditions required for the responsible use of artificial intelligence and develop scenarios, recommendations, policy options and roadmaps.

Does artificial intelligence pose a threat to democracy?

A Ukrainian general calling for a coup against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy? Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz issuing an official statement banning the far-right AfD party? Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin convivially toasting each other with a glass of wine? You could see all of these things in 2024 in deceptively realistic videos or photos on social media. But they were all deepfakes produced or manipulated with the aid of artificial intelligence.

Generative AI systems make it easier than ever to create text, images and videos to order. Coupled with the wide reach of social media, these systems give people with malicious intent a powerful tool for spreading disinformation. Actors from government, industry and civil society have of course always sought to gain public support for their interests and objectives. But are AI systems now enabling a whole new level of covert manipulation? How are social processes and elections being changed? And does AI also offer opportunities for democracy? 2024 was a bumper year for elections around the world, and the Plattform Lernende Systeme addressed these questions through various formats.

Elections, opinion-forming, journalism and the legal system all play a key role in democratic societies. The Web special* on “artificial intelligence and democracy” analyses the influence of AI in these fields. Key challenges include ensuring that the technology is used in an ethically responsible manner, enabling trust and establishing the necessary framework. The Plattform Lernende Systeme is formulating concrete recommendations on these matters for government and the scientific community.

Artificial intelligence is a key technology that will have a lasting impact on how we live together and on our democratic society. It is driving digitalisation and transforming the workplace and our social processes. To ensure participation and equal opportunities, AI must be developed in accordance with democratic and ethical principles.

Jan Wörner, co-chair of the Plattform Lernende Systeme and acatech President

What are the dangers of AI-powered manipulation and disinformation? And conversely, what opportunities does AI provide for improving public information? Using real and fictitious examples, the White Paper AI in the super election year of 2024 explores the impact of generative AI on elections and democracy. Two of its recommendations are that AI-generated content should be identified as such and that AI-related media literacy should be strengthened.

AI’s influence on democratic processes was also at the heart of several events that the Plattform Lernende Systeme participated in. At re:publica 2024 in Berlin, members of the Plattform took part in a panel discussion about whether AI-generated content is undermining public trust in government and the media, and the extent to which it can influence how people vote.

How do disinformation and fake news influence political opinion-forming, especially in the run-up to elections? Members of the Plattform Lernende Systeme discussed this question with interested members of the public at an “acatech am Dienstag” event held in Munich in May 2024.

AI-generated fake news is putting pressure on journalism in our democratic society and transforming the media landscape. At the “YouMeCon | Kompakt” event organised by Jugendpresse Deutschland in Berlin, representatives of the Plattform Lernende Systeme and aspiring journalists discussed the opportunities and threats that AI represents for the media. The unanimous verdict at YouMeCon was that media professionals can and should help to shape these changes.

Coding workshop for young AI professionals and students

Conscious that strengthening people’s AI skills is vitally important, regardless of their age, the Plattform Lernende Systeme invited students and young professionals to participate in a coding workshop. The event at the IBM Innovation Center in Munich was organised in partnership with TU Darmstadt’s Systems Security Lab. The participants beavered away assiduously on their laptops, using federated learning to develop effective attack and defence scenarios for software applications.

Beavering away on security and hacking challenges, © PLS

Participants in the coding workshop had to protect AI systems against attacks and attempt to hack them themselves. © PLS

Phillip Rieger (left) and Alessandro Pegoraro (2nd from right) from TU Darmstadt’s Systems Security Lab with challenge winner Sabrina Gross (3rd from right) and runners-up Niklas Kopp, Marco Rubin and Cuong Le (left to right), © PLS

Regulating artificial intelligence: an overview of the AI Act

The European Union’s AI Act is the world’s first ever transnational regulation for AI applications. This binding EU Act creates transparency for users and legal certainty for businesses. Exactly what the AI Act says, the opportunities and challenges it entails, and how the regulations will be implemented are concisely and clearly explained by the Plattform Lernende Systeme in its AI At a Glance publication series and in a special page* devoted to the AI Act on its website.

The potential and limitations of AI-controlled robots

There have been major advances in robot performance over the last decade. Thanks to generative AI, robots can now work closely with humans and learn independently – either by having a human show them what to do, or by using human feedback to refine what they have already learnt.

This technology has huge potential for the economy and society as a whole. AI-powered robotic systems are now being used for more and more non-industrial applications, for instance as delivery vehicles, in care settings, in disaster response operations and in the home. The special page devoted to “learning robotic systems”* on the Plattform Lernende Systeme website provides an overview of the different aspects of learning robotic systems and their market potential.

The 2024 Digital Summit: Deepfakes, EdgeAI and the skills shortage

Members of the Plattform Lernende Systeme took part in various debates at the 2024 Digital  Summit*. One discussion considered how AI can be used to address the skills shortage, while another panel looked at the potential of EdgeAI to support technological and digital sovereignty in Germany and the rest of Europe. Practical examples and policy options relating to these topics are presented in two publications brought out by the platform in 2024.

AI-controlled robots also have a lot to offer in the skilled trades. At the German government’s 2024 Digital Summit, PLS member Gunnar Bloss of Werk5 GmbH and coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research project LEROSH presented a learning cobot equipped with a grinding tool. A visit to the stand gave the then Federal Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger an impression of how AI can actively support employees in the skilled trades. Left to right: Weiyi Zhao, Gunnar Bloss (both Werk5 GmbH) and Előd Páll (Interactive Scape GmbH), © PLS

Members of the Plattform Lernende Systeme took part in various debates at the 2024 Digital Summit. © PLS

Research Council Industrie 4.0 (ReCoRD)

The key to the long-term global competitiveness of German and European industry lies in the digital industrial value networks of Industrie 4.0. However, guidance is needed on how to roll out innovative Industrie 4.0 solutions and identify future research and development requirements. This calls for close collaboration between research and industry. The Research Council Industrie 4.0 seeks to promote this cooperation in order to strengthen value creation and the innovation system in Germany. The 34 experts from science and industry who make up this strategic, independent body pool their expertise, identify new research and development requirements, outline medium- to long-term development trends and formulate policy options.

The Research Council’s work is coordinated by acatech through the ReCoRD project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Roadmaps for the next few years

In 2024, members of the Research Council and a strategy commission worked to develop a thematic framework for specific Industrie 4.0 research priorities over the next five to ten years, as part of a strategic process begun one year earlier. The results are being consolidated into “thematic roadmaps”.

The first of these is the Engineering Roadmap, which pursues the vision of self-generating systems. The roadmap is divided into three development stages: “optimisation of existing factory systems”, “dynamic adaptability” and “autonomy”. Self-generating systems enable competitive, transparent and flexible production that adds value while keeping humans at the centre. The key is to achieve optimal allocation of work among humans and machines and to ensure that the technology provides humans with the right support. Further roadmaps on “business models”, “sustainability” and the “future of work” will be published along with an overarching strategy paper in 2025.

But with the term “Industrie 5.0” now starting to crop up sporadically, has Industrie 4.0 already had its day? The answer is an emphatic no! There is nothing new in “Industrie 5.0” – the use of this term is superfluous and only serves to confuse the issue. In a joint position paper presented at the 2024 Hannover Messe, the Research Council Industrie 4.0 and the Plattform Industrie 4.0 criticise the use of “Industrie 5.0” as frivolous and unnecessary.

This is in stark contrast to the term “Industrie 4.0”, which describes an industrial model that is followed all over the world and remains highly relevant – especially in the context of sustainability, resilience, human-centricity and other industrial and societal challenges. Consequently, the Research Council is keeping close tabs on the activities of the European Commission’s Industry 5.0 Community of Practice.

AI and autonomously adaptive Industrie 4.0 systems

The Research Council Industrie 4.0 published two expert reports in 2024. Künstliche Intelligenz und industrielle Arbeit – Perspektiven und Gestaltungsoptionen* outlines how AI can be successfully deployed in German industry, while Engineering autonom wandelbarer Industrie 4.0-Systeme* discusses the potential to make Germany’s manufacturing industry fit for the future. Rather than simply networking machines and systems, how can they be made capable of autonomously adapting to new situations?

“Industrie 4.0 Forschung in Kürze”: the concise new publication series

The Research Council Industrie 4.0 also launched its new Industrie 4.0 Forschung in Kürze concise publication series. The first issue asks how new technologies are changing manufacturing jobs*, while the second looks at the keys to success for Industrie 4.0 in small and medium-sized enterprises*.

There’s much more to AI than the large language models that have been on everyone’s lips since the advent of ChatGPT. The combination of humans and AI operating machines together has particular potential in manufacturing industry. Prof. Angelika Bullinger-Hoffmann Chair of Ergonomics and Innovation Management at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Chemnitz University of Technology

Digitalisation and automation enable small and medium-sized enterprises to resolve the apparent conflict between efficiency, flexibility and sustainability in the high-wage countries of Europe. Prof. Dr. Julia Arlinghaus Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF

The Research Council also hosts regular webinars to complement its expert reports. In a webinar on “artificial intelligence and industrial work –  prospects and options for implementation”, Angelika Bullinger-Hoffmann (Chemnitz University of Technology and Research Council Industrie 4.0 member) and Stefan Gabriel (Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronic Systems Design IEM and co-author of the expert report) gave an insight into the Research Council publication and shared ideas about how to successfully deploy AI in industry. Another webinar on the expert report “Engineering autonom wandelbarer Industrie 4.0-Systeme”* took place in March 2025.

Can the systematic implementation of Industrie 4.0 help Germany’s industrial enterprises to shake off economic stagnation, boost their productivity and remain competitive in the long run? This question was addressed at the “acatech am Dienstag” event “Shaping future value creation: The influence of Industry 4.0” on 12 November 2024.

Open-source design tools for chip development (DI-QDISC)

With so many products now containing microchips, microelectronics has become a key enabling technology. However, the automotive chip crisis showed just how vulnerable Germany is and how much it relies on this key industry. Strong pressure to drive down costs has consolidated the market into just a handful of suppliers. This is true both of the market for finished chips, where most of the suppliers are based in Taiwan, and of the computer software market. This software is needed to manage the ever greater complexity and ensure that the transistors are correctly connected to each other – the latest chips contain over 100 billion transistors.

Unlike in Europe, the US government has provided strong support for the development of this software, and as a result the main suppliers are located in America. But doing business with these major suppliers is far from easy for the many small and medium-sized enterprises and niche markets in Europe. In addition to licence fees, they also often have to comply with strict terms and conditions such as non-disclosure agreements and minimum order quantities. The upshot is that it is difficult for European businesses to gain a foothold in the microelectronics market.

Open-source programs provide opportunity for regional chip development

Open-source design tools that are freely available to all users can provide an alternative solution. But the catch is that most of these programs were developed by the academic and research community and do not conform to the industry standard. They are often unable to meet production requirements or deliver the necessary reliability, especially for highly demanding production processes. Since every single error is immensely costly, most companies are extremely reluctant to use these programs. Moreover, the programs’ suppliers lack the necessary organisational structure.

The project Open-source Design Tools for Sovereign Chip Development (DI-QDISC)* seeks to establish a dialogue between academia and industry. At present, their positions on open-source programs are more or less diametrically opposed: while researchers believe they are the future, industry remains sceptical. How can the open-source programs be developed to enable their use in industrial production? Can open-source design tools be used at all, and if so, which technologies and applications are they suitable for? In addition to technological questions like these, the project is also investigating potential business models for open-source design tools. In particular, it is looking at whether the successful innovation mechanisms from the open-source software sector can be applied to the microelectronics industry, and at the potential benefits of combining conventional and open-source solutions.

The acatech IMPULSE Open-source Design Tools for Sovereign Chip Development is thus intended as a contribution to the debate between key actors from academia, industry and government. It sets out a series of policy options for strengthening the design ecosystem and innovation performance in Germany and the rest of Europe, geared in particular towards innovative start-ups and SMEs.

Advanced Systems Engineering

The spread of digitalisation and artificial intelligence is increasing the complexity of products, services, production systems and work organisation, and thus also presenting new challenges for engineering. Advanced Systems Engineering is a new approach that can help to manage this growing complexity.

In the publication Erfolgsgeschichten im Advanced Systems Engineering*, eleven case studies from industry illustrate how Advanced Systems Engineering can create successful, intelligent, connected applications. Advanced Systems Engineering drives innovation, adds sustainable value, and strengthens the long-term global competitiveness of production and innovation in Germany. The methodologies and success stories described in the publication shine a light on the many different aspects of Advanced Systems Engineering in practical industrial settings and in product creation and development.

Analysis of the AI sector in Baden-Württemberg

The state of Baden-Württemberg was quick to recognise the strategic importance of AI and act accordingly. It has developed a comprehensive digital strategy and launched initiatives such as the international flagship project Cyber Valley, the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI), which is currently under construction, and several regional networks and funding programmes. The conditions for adding value through AI applications could hardly be any better – Baden-Württemberg boasts an outstanding science and research landscape and several world-leading companies. AI provides all manner of opportunities for competing successfully in the global market and promoting cross-sectoral collaboration, especially in data-intensive sectors such as the automotive industry, production and plant engineering, IT, robotics and medtech. But where does Baden-Württemberg currently stand as an AI location? And how can its AI ecosystem be strategically developed?

These questions are addressed by the acatech STUDY KI-Standortanalyse Baden-Württemberg*. Various studies, press releases and specialist publications were analysed and 34 exploratory interviews were conducted with experts from science, industry, government agencies, institutions and professional associations. The STUDY concludes that Baden-Württemberg is a national and international leader in innovation performance. It also registers more AI patents than any other state in Germany. However, there is still room to further strengthen transfer from research into marketable products and services.

Baden-Württemberg is pioneering the use of AI in the public administration. That said, there is still plenty of untapped potential for improving efficiency with AI applications, especially at the level of municipalities and their local authorities. One of the biggest challenges is that a lot of data has either been inadequately digitised, or not digitised at all, while there are also still several gaps in end-to-end digitisation.

So what remains to be done for Baden-Württemberg to implement a comprehensive AI strategy? The acatech STUDY answers this question by presenting a series of recommendations. These include the strategic expansion of cooperation with other regions and of funding for AI start-ups, and improvements to data accessibility.

* Content only available in German