Artificial Intelligence in Production

Machines are also capable of learning: with machine learning, the technique of digging into the box is continuously refined. (Source: Fraunhofer IPA, Photo: Rainer Bez)

Artificial Intelligence is Making Its Way into All Areas of Our Lives. Product features, services, and process workflows in production benefit from it. What the technology already accomplishes today, what opportunities and risks it poses for industry – this is the focus of the conference on Tuesday, May 15, 2018,
the "Artificial Intelligence in Production" on the grounds of the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation IPA. The
conference is a collaboration with the Konradin Media Group.

At a Glance

What? Conference "Artificial Intelligence in Production"
When? Tuesday, May 15, 2018, from 8:30 a.m.
Where? Fraunhofer IPA | Nobelstraße 12 | 70569 Stuttgart
Registration by April 25, 2018 at: www.industrie.de/kuenstliche-intelligenz

The experimental setup was sensational and the result still engages experts today: In 2016, Google and the University of California, Berkeley, had 14 robots perform over 800,000 grasping attempts on various everyday objects over two months. The robots could not access prior knowledge such as stored 3D models or CAD data. They had to rely solely on the information provided by their cameras and keep trying until they found the right grip. Despite the lack of prior knowledge, the error rate was surprisingly low: between ten and twenty percent.

The experiment shows: Even machines are capable of learning. With each grasp attempt, robots train their neural networks and can draw on the accumulated experience over time. This machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, is currently making inroads into robotics and is bringing forth a new generation of cognitive robots that can perceive their environment, plan their actions, and work closely with humans.

Profound Changes Are Coming

You don't have to be a prophet to recognize that such developments will change product features, services, process workflows in production, and work content. Especially managers responsible for strategic decisions in their companies should therefore thoroughly examine the potential uses and upcoming upheavals: What can artificial intelligence already do today, and what will be possible in ten to twenty years? What specific impacts does the technology have on manufacturing? What opportunities and risks arise? Answers to these urgent future questions will be provided on May 15, 2018, at the "Artificial Intelligence in Production" conference on the grounds of the Fraunhofer IPA in Stuttgart. The event is a collaboration with the Konradin Media Group, Leinfelden.

Experts from Research and Industry Share Insights

Participants from research and industry will speak: What automated production systems and robots can do today and will be able to do in the future, outline Thomas Bauernhansl, head of Fraunhofer IPA, and Dr. Ulrich Eberl, author of "Smart Machines." Wolfgang Hildesheim, head of IBM Watson & Artificial Intelligence, will then provide insights into intelligent knowledge processing based on natural language. Dr. Norbert Pfleger, CEO of SemVox, will discuss proactive assistance systems.

Wieland Holfelder, who heads the Google Development Center in Munich, and Torsten Kröger from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, will talk about various methods of machine learning and human-robot interaction. Michael May from Siemens Corporate Technology will then give an overview of the collection and analysis of large data sets. The afternoon will feature in-depth discussions in themed sessions about the state of the art, application possibilities, current research initiatives, and reflections on the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence. Management consultant Dr. Constanze Holzwarth will discuss the necessary corporate and leadership culture. The topic
"Machine Ethics" will be addressed in a lecture by Prof. Oliver Bendel.