Artificial intelligence bridging gap between Germany and U.S.

The United States remains the driving force behind new AI technologies. Vorsteher, who lived in Silicon Valley for over 40 years and founded the IT company, Smaato, there with her husband Ragnar Kruse, values cross-border networks. That motivated her to launch the Transatlantic AI eXchange in April. 

The initiative promotes German-American exchange on artificial intelligence. AI webinars, workshops and coaching sessions bring together stakeholders in the industry, research and government to examine trends and forward-looking AI use cases and to pave the way for transatlantic business models and partnerships.

Events on both sides of the Atlantic provide access to leading AI companies such as Google and SAP, investors such as Microsoft's venture funds M12, Intel Capital or Bosch Venture Capital, as well as established universities and research institutions such as Stanford and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence. Both Hans-Ulrich Südbeck, German Consul General in San Francisco, and Darion Akins, U.S. Consul General in Hamburg, have welcomed the launch of the Transatlantic AI eXchange.

Initial events have been well received in both Germany and the United States, said Vorsteher. "We had AI events on healthcare, Robo Cars or on "How transatlantic research at ICSI - UC Berkeley ignites German start-ups" with Professor Olaf Groth as moderator. The CEO of Cambrian.ai and author of Solomon's Code will also present the AI.SUMMIT in Hamburg." Vorsteher is planning a conference and a visit by a delegation to Silicon Valley in 2022.

The Transatlantic AI eXchange is also keen to ensure that AI is used resposibly e.g., by anonymising data, in a bid to counter scepticism and to allay people's fears. "There tends to be a realistic assessment of the risks and opportunities of new AI technologies in Silicon Valley. However, there is still a need for education in the rest of the country, which is similar to Germany in many cases," Vorsteher pointed out.

"AI is the key technology of the future and can change nearly every area of our lives positively," she added, and cites medicine as an example. AI systems can significantly increase the chances of healing patients and helping doctors with their diagnoses and therapeutic decisions.

However, the framework conditions for such forward-looking scenarios are not yet in place. The Hamburg-based start-up, Mindpeak, received approval for its AI software BreastIHC, which can identify and characterise breast cancer cells in May. Yet, the AI assistance system for diagnosing prostate cancer by the Hamburg-based company, Fuse-AI, has not yet been approved. Vorsteher remarked.

"Such AI solutions recognise cancer cells with an accuracy of well over 90 per cent. The result is then checked by the doctor, so that patients get the best of both worlds i.e., the combination of human kindness and technology."
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