This workshop dealt with the role of AI and the question of what contribution AI can make to employer attractiveness. In addition to KI.WI, the AI network of the Hannover economic region, the focus was primarily on the participants' own experiences with AI in their companies. The meta-topic of change management and agile change was used to build a bridge between new technologies and implementation in the company.
Hanover Region The Artificial Intelligence (AI) presentation at the workshop provided a comprehensive introduction to the basics of AI, including machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL). AI was presented as a technology that mimics human intelligence to perform tasks such as voice assistance or recognizing faces more efficiently. The advantages for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), such as cost and time savings as well as new revenue potential through data-driven business models, were particularly emphasized. Practical application examples, such as AI-supported cancer detection in medicine or the automation of sorting processes in waste management, illustrated the wide range of possible applications.
The second part of the presentation dealt with specific recommendations for companies wishing to introduce AI. The key to success lies in a corporate culture that is open to technology, support from managers and the quality of the data used. It was emphasized how important it is to prepare AI projects thoroughly, for example by creating business cases and data checks. Companies should decide whether they want to develop AI themselves or bring in external service providers. Overall, humans remain crucial to the success of AI applications, as their primary aim is to relieve employees and take over repetitive tasks.
In the keynote speech "Change management vs. agile change", two approaches for the successful implementation of change in companies were compared. Change management is a systematic approach based on planning, communication and control in order to structure the transition to new processes and systems. This approach is particularly suitable for complex, long-term changes where it is important to minimize risks and promote employee acceptance (see Meyer 2017; Doppler and Lauterburg 2019). Agile change, on the other hand, relies on iterative, flexible adjustments in short cycles in order to react quickly to new requirements and integrate continuous feedback. This approach helps companies to implement innovations more quickly and adapt to dynamic market conditions.
