Kaiserslautern (dpa/lrs) - Federal Digital Minister Volker Wissing and Rhineland-Palatinate Economics Minister Daniela Schmitt (both FDP) have opened a new center for artificial intelligence (AI) in Kaiserslautern. The AI Innovation and Quality Center at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) is part of the "Mission AI" initiative and the first of two planned centers in Germany with which the federal government intends to promote the "use of trustworthy AI".

"With the AI center, we are creating a bridge between research and practical application," said Wissing. Innovative ideas could be developed in Kaiserslautern and AI applications could be subjected to a quality check. "Companies receive concrete help to assess the risks of AI at an early stage - also with regard to EU requirements. In this way, we want to promote the development of trustworthy AI 'Made in Germany' and support German companies."

AI "Made in Germany"

"Artificial intelligence helps us to implement things much faster, but at the same time we must ensure that our data regulations and values are respected," emphasized Wissing. "We need to be sure that AI supports us neutrally and does not deceive us. These things are not easy for everyone to check. We are creating centers that have this expertise."

Minister Schmitt called Kaiserslautern and the DFKI the "central location for artificial intelligence in Germany". She is particularly pleased that Rhineland-Palatinate will be home to one of two new AI centers funded by the federal government. "Our medium-sized companies in the state will particularly benefit from the transfer of knowledge and the development of corresponding applications."

Strengthen trust

The AI Center is operated jointly by the German Academy of Science and Engineering acatech and the DFKI. A particular focus is on the development of test procedures for AI applications in order to strengthen trust in the technology. Consulting and testing support will be supplemented by workshops, for example.

The focus of the new center will initially be on the use of AI in the healthcare sector, it was said - also due to the strong presence of companies and research institutions from the medical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors in the region. The DFKI will develop tools to evaluate the quality of medical AI systems and to improve them.

Second center planned in Berlin

The center is not limited to the medical sector, but is open to all industries. "Mission AI" is a broader initiative to promote AI development in Germany. With a total budget of 32 million euros, financed by the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs, the initiative also aims to promote the AI competitiveness of German companies. A second center is to be established in Berlin by the end of the year.

Broadly speaking, the new AI center in Kaiserslautern will primarily develop test criteria for artificial intelligence. Building on this, it will also find or develop tools that document, for example, which standards are adhered to for the data used, how decisions are made by the respective AI and how these are justified, as the Managing Director of the DFKI in Kaiserslautern, Andreas Dengel, explained.

Project initially until the end of 2025

"The end result should be at least a minimum standard that creates trust in AI by resolving uncertainty," Dengel told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "The center should be a point of contact for all companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups." Among other things, the center will address companies that are already working with an AI solution in their production and want to market it.

According to Dengel, another task of the center is to think about a "vehicle" with which AI systems can be tested on a large scale. "You can't do that via the cloud of a large US company," he said. "You need an independent trust center for AI computing." Part of the AI center in Kaiserslautern will also be a new showroom in the city center, which is aimed at everyone. "It should make AI understandable, take away fear and also show what AI is and what it is not."

The AI Center project is initially scheduled to run until the end of 2025, but there are plans for it to continue beyond that.