When recognizing eye diseases or dangers, when controlling by means of gestures - artificial intelligence (AI) is used unnoticed in many things. Or conspicuously in an artificial nose made of plastic. Lübeck scientist Horst Hellbrück holds it over a glass of Irish whiskey as a demonstration. Within seconds, a green smiley lights up on the back.

The AI in the single-board computer has identified the smell as whiskey, indicating a 99% probability on a small screen. "But we're not yet as good as a sniffer dog," says Hellbrück. The device is not - yet - able to distinguish between scotch and bourbon, let alone individual types of whiskey.

Applications in industry, medicine and the deep sea

The small computer with a pig's nose has four sensors. Among other things, they measure the concentration of carbon monoxide in order to differentiate between substances in the ambient air. "We want to show how AI can be used. You no longer need a mainframe computer for this," says Hellbrück. The individual components cost less than 100 euros. The pig's nose can easily distinguish between coffee, whiskey and room air. The AI could also issue a warning if the concentration of hazardous substances is too high at an industrial workplace, for example. "And before humans have to deal with the problems," says Hellbrück.

Medical projects are more practical. Employees of the institute are working on a technology to carry out eye examinations in GP surgeries using smartphones and make initial diagnoses with the help of AI. The project, which is funded by the Joachim Hertz Foundation, aims to improve care for people in rural areas who have to travel long distances to see specialists.

"But we don't want to replace ophthalmologists," says Hellbrück. Diabetes patients, for example, should have an easier time in future by having check-ups at their GP and not always having to see specialists. "I can imagine that some doctors will think: this is my expertise, I'm not going to let a computer take it away from me." General practitioners may be more open, he says, because they see the auxiliary function in routine tasks.

"Artificial intelligence can be a help in medicine," says a spokesperson for the Schleswig-Holstein Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. Before it can be used, a practical test must show whether the technology can support doctors in making a diagnosis or providing treatment. "It must make doctors' everyday work easier and bring additional benefits for patients. AI will remain an add-on in medicine for a long time to come, because the doctor-patient relationship remains at the heart of a doctor's understanding of good care - even in the digital age." However, the association is watching developments with great interest.

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"I'm an engineer who wants to improve people's lives," says Hellbrück. "I want to be able to detect diseases better." In another research project, scientists in Lübeck are working with cooperation partners to develop a technology that makes it easier to find submarine cables in the sediment on the seabed. "AI can help to identify the depth of the cables in the seabed," says team member Sven Ole Schmidt. And thus speed up work on the seabed.

9 million euros for AI professorships

The research sector is of great importance to Schleswig-Holstein's state government. In February, it announced that it would provide 9 million euros for twelve new AI professors at the universities in Flensburg, Kiel, Heide and Lübeck. They are to start teaching in the North as early as the winter semester. "Data is the raw material for the use of artificial intelligence," says Dirk Schrödter, Head of the State Chancellery.

The use of AI is not uncontroversial. The Lübeck researchers understand the fears of too much artificial intelligence. "You have to explain AI," says Hellbrück. "And science fiction films in particular don't help." People are already living with AI in many areas today, such as image processing or computer hotlines, and in ten years' time it will be impossible to imagine many areas of life without it. "People often don't even realize that they are dealing with AI. Once you feel the benefits, you lose your fear of it."