"The time is ripe for Germany to make more of the topic of artificial intelligence. With the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), we have established the world's highest-revenue research institute in this field. Our research is in an excellent position by international standards and the results demonstrate the great potential of this new technology for the economy and society," explains Federal Research Minister Johanna Wanka.

"We now have to think in new categories when it comes to artificial intelligence and, as with Industry 4.0, assume far-reaching changes. That's why we want to join forces with this future-oriented project and give it a systematic boost in Germany."

The 'Learning Systems' platform is coordinated by a steering committee. Experts from business, science and society will begin their work in seven working groups in October in order to research the applications and potential, as well as social, ethical and legal issues.

The opportunities offered by learning systems will be discussed in application scenarios, discussion papers and recommendations for action. The topic is therefore to be placed on a broad footing.

Dieter Spath, President of acatech and Co-Chair of the platform, adds: "Learning systems bring a new quality to digitalization. We want Germany to shape this area as a leading provider and user. Learning systems should strengthen prosperity and good work. They should improve quality of life and social participation. With this goal in mind, we are bringing together research and application in the platform. We also want to initiate an open debate on the legal, ethical and social issues raised by learning systems."

The steering committee

At the last meeting of the Steering Committee, it was decided to appoint the following additional members:

• Dr. Reinhard Ploss, CEO Infineon
• Dr. Elmar Degenhart, CEO Continental
• Prof. Dr. Holger Hanselka, President of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
• Dr. Hanna Köpcke, Founder and CTO Webdata solutions
• Frank Riemensperger, Chairman of the Management Board, Accenture

The steering committee previously included Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka (BMBF), Prof. Dr. Dieter Spath (President of acatech), Prof. Dr. Reimund Neugebauer (President of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wahlster (CEO of DFKI) and Ralf Klinkenberg (Co-Founder Rapidminer). The steering committee and working groups will coordinate their work closely. The platform and its committees will be supported by a newly established office.

The platform is headed by Federal Minister Wanka and acatech President Spath.

Further information on the platform.