Hannover, Germany: Manufacturers want the artificial intelligence revolution to reach their factories, as robots will be used to repair complex machines.
Interest in using AI in many fields has exploded since US startup OpenAI launched its chatbot ChatGPT last year.
And last week at the Hannover trade fair for industrial technology in Germany, Artificial intelligence in the manufacturing sector was firmly in the spotlight.
A young employee at US IT service provider HPE chatted with an AI-powered virtual assistant via a tablet in his hand, asking him to operate a robotic arm.
To solve technical problems, “factory workers no longer need to bring qualified specialists to the job site. Artificial intelligence takes care of repairs,” said a US data analyst. Thomas Mayer said. HPE has announced a prototype.
The US company, which employs about 60,000 people, has been working with Aleph Alpha, a German startup with about 50 staff, last year. OpenAI’s main European rival.
This innovation communicates with factory workers and can, for example, send the program a picture of the machine to detect problems or ensure it is installed correctly.
But German startups see at least one big advantage. Customer data can be stored in Europe.
‘Increased efficiency’: But Aleph Alpha CEO Jonas Andrulis told AFP that Europe’s contribution to the AI revolution must go ‘beyond regulation’.
At a separate booth at the Hannover trade fair, Siemens also exhibited applications aimed at improving factory performance.
in cooperation with German industrial conglomerate Microsoft plans to launch a new version of its Teams messaging platform this year.
become a feature ChatGPT, designed specifically to help workers and find product defaults.
Anthony Hemmelgarn, CEO of Siemens Digital Industries Software, says 70% of issues go unrecorded and certain tasks aren’t completed, so AI is “not taking anyone’s place.” .
“It’s all about efficiency,” he added.
Hannover Trade Fair organizer Jochen Koeckler says that another potential benefit of AI is to “alleviate the shortage of skilled workers”, especially in Germany.
Almost 58% of manufacturers in Europe, Europe’s largest economy, complain of labor shortages, according to a study released in December by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training.
For Andrulis, AI will undoubtedly bring big changes to the world of work.
But he also tried to provide a guarantee. “AI is not going to take your job. But companies that use AI will gain market share from companies that don’t.”
