‘Green corridor technology is already available’

During lockdown, we all noticed that a lot of things are easier digitally than home. How did Corona increase the acceptance of digitization that many feared?
Patricia Newman: If there is one lesson from the crisis, it is that some things are only possible digitally. The benefits and benefits of digitalization have reached the public and acceptance has risen sharply. Even in schools, where we hope life will soon return to normal, I am grateful – also to my family – that distance learning was possible.

However, more than 350,000 people are unemployed and more than 400,000 people are employed for a short period. Where is digitalization now a functional driver?
It is crucial for the economy to be able to open up again for the use of digitization. As long as this is only partly the case, training and retraining, where digital learning is also possible during a crisis, is very important in order to find jobs afterward. We are looking for a large number of people working in our ICT sector in particular.

What did IBM do to users at the time?
From the beginning, we provided many cloud solutions for free so that companies could transition to the digital world. We worked with schools to popularize Cisco’s Webex tool. Several IBM employees also volunteered to help. Around the world, IBM has made its robust suite of high-performance computers available in research kits that require extremely high computing power to support vaccine research and control the spread of a pandemic.

Do you trust Austria and the European Union to get a green passport by June?
Yeah. IBM is already allowed to work on digital vaccination certification in Germany. This means that the technology is there. If there is will at the political level, then I am confident that there will be a solution for Austria and the European Union. I hope there is a European standard, so we need the framework.

Does IBM have a digital strategy for small and medium businesses in Austria?
It is important not to use digitalization per se, but because it is necessary: ​​the best examples are those in which innovation and new business models emerge.

What do you say to Corona deniers who also demonize 5G?
When the benefits are there, it makes sense to be open to new technologies.

IBM was a pioneer in the computer and mail industries, so what’s the next step in this domain?
That would be artificial intelligence. Everyone is already in contact with it. It does not replace us, but it supports us in our private and professional lives.