Artisans should reduce their fear of coming into contact with artificial intelligence

About 50 craftsmen who came to Ipai Space in Wohlgelegen Future Park on Thursday evening already understood this. Artificial intelligence (AI) will also radically change their work. The question is how. Do you helplessly watch developments or try to use new technology to your own advantage?

For Ralf Schnur, General Director of the Heilbronn-Franken Chamber of Crafts, and Moritz Gräter, Managing Director of the Innovation Park for Artificial Intelligence (Ipai), the answer is quite clear: AI also provides enormous opportunities for crafts – you just have to use them.

The cooperation agreement has already been concluded

On Wednesday, the Crafts Chamber and Ipai concluded a cooperation agreement, and the first event on artificial intelligence and crafts will be held the next day. The goal is to introduce craftsmen to the topic of artificial intelligence, which many still do not know.

AI can “save money and time if used correctly,” Schnur says. Schnur tries to dispel widespread fears that AI will never replace actual manual labor. But they can be very useful for more tedious tasks such as work preparation, warehousing, deployment planning, appointment scheduling, and accounting. So, AI and craftsmanship go well together for Schnorr.

The digital twin is coming

Simon Heller of the Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute in Heilbronn sees it the same way. He is convinced that in the future all real things will be represented in virtual things. The virtual algorithm will increasingly control reality. Specifically: The heat pump in your home’s basement or your company’s existing machines get a digital twin.

Through relevant data and their specialized knowledge, merchants will have the opportunity to offer new types of digital services. “Then the dealer in front of the customer knows that their heating system is broken,” Heller says.

Philip Hutchinson of the AppliedAI Initiative explains other areas of application of AI in professions: autonomous driving, personal assistance systems, taking over monotonous tasks, management or personalization of services. It shows visitors how quickly the ChatGPT language model can answer customer inquiries, write invoices, and verify them — but it’s also prone to errors.

So you should not blindly rely on chatbot. However, Hutchinson is convinced that “those who do not jump on the AI ​​bandwagon will be left behind.”

Startups and artisans need each other

His colleague Miriam Beller encourages craftsmen to think more intensively about artificial intelligence. “You have to have a basic understanding of AI if you want to assess opportunities and risks,” she says. Beller also recommends working with startups.

“Sometimes startups have a solution and are still looking for the problem.” Commerce is ideal for testing AI solutions. In the AI ​​use case library, those interested can find many case studies that can help them find a suitable AI solution, says Beller.

Philipp Goebbels from Fraunhofer IAO explains to the assembled craftsmen how artificial intelligence works, what neural networks are and what deep learning is. Yes, the topic is complex, but: “AI is not magic, it is mathematics.” Using examples, Goebbels shows how using AI in a company can save a lot of money and time. Naturally, craftsmen must first invest in technology. But AI solutions don’t have to cost a fortune, they’re worth it. Goebbels: The effort is usually worth it after just three months.

The AI ​​ecosystem must make room for everyone

Heilbronn is poised to become one of Europe’s AI beacons. This will ensure the Artificial Intelligence Park (Ipai), which will be built in the Steinacker area in the next few years. But the AI ​​ecosystem is already growing step by step. The Ipai Space in the futuristic Wohlgelegen park is undergoing a massive expansion, with well-known companies such as Porsche, Audi, Schunk, Würth and Aleph Alpha entering into partnerships with Ipai. According to Moritz Greiter, Managing Director of Ipai, the stated goal is also to bring medium-sized companies, crafts and citizens into the future of AI.