"The impetus must continue to come from people"

Handelsblatt Research Institute

Mr. Riemenschneider, which technology trends will have the greatest impact on your industry over the next five years?

Holger Riemenschneider

AI is currently at the top of the list of relevant technology trends. However, it is also a big buzzword. Companies now have to bring the trend to life. To do this, it is important that there are concrete use cases with which the tasks and problems of companies can be solved. However, this also poses a challenge for the further development of AI applications.

Handelsblatt Research Institute

What is this challenge?

Holger Riemenschneider

So far, AI has learned from what we humans have done. In the next iteration loop, AI will increasingly learn from AI. We need to be critical enough here and ensure that AI is used without generating misinformation.

Handelsblatt Research Institute

Are there other technologies besides AI that will be important in the next five years?

Holger Riemenschneider

Existing trends will continue to play an important role in the coming years. These include cloud computing, for example. This technology trend will continue to accompany us over the next ten years.

Handelsblatt Research Institute

Another example of a recent technology buzzword is the metaverse. Was the hype here too great?

Holger Riemenschneider

Yes, the hype surrounding the metaverse was too great and the trend quickly fell out of focus again with the rise of AI. The technology has potential, but there is a lack of use cases for the industrial sector. The metaverse may play a role in certain use cases in other areas in the future. But I had expected greater progress here.

Handelsblatt Research Institute

Are there other technologies that may have proved to be a disappointment when used in your company?

Holger Riemenschneider

So far, we haven't had a digitalization topic in the company that I have been dissatisfied with. When it comes to cloud computing, however, not all of my expectations have been met. On the one hand, this concerns computing power. We need more and more computing power and memory, especially for AI applications. More progress is needed here.

I would also like to see improvements in terms of flexibility. There are only a few large cloud providers, most of which are based in the USA. Even if you prepare yourself technologically for this - which we have done - you can't simply switch providers. The effort would simply be far too great. Due to the strong ties, it is difficult for companies to avoid price increases.

Handelsblatt Research Institute

Where do companies in Germany currently stand when it comes to AI?

Holger Riemenschneider

I think companies have AI on their radar. But many still don't know how best to use the technology. When people think of AI, they often only think of ChatGPT. But AI can already be used today to perform tasks that were still very complex a few years ago.

Handelsblatt Research Institute

What potential does AI have in your industry in particular?

Holger Riemenschneider

Many companies are currently still working on identifying useful applications. In most cases, AI is primarily used to process standard tasks. The focus here is on increasing efficiency. Companies are optimizing their business processes with AI and automating routine tasks. I don't yet see AI being used more in the development of completely new business models. But that will come.

Handelsblatt Research Institute

Where is AI actually used in your company?

Holger Riemenschneider

One focus is on IT operations. In terms of predictive maintenance, the IT system is continuously monitored to prevent failures. This is already working very well. We are currently working on extending its use to the hardware area.

Another use case is the automation and simplification of business processes - for example in the area of law.

Handelsblatt Research Institute

Are measurable benefits already resulting from the use of AI in your company?

Holger Riemenschneider

Yes, AI applications lead to measurable increases in efficiency, i.e. less time spent on certain activities and lower costs. We carefully calculate the business case before implementing a new intelligent application. We only implement it if it is worthwhile.

Handelsblatt Research Institute

And how long does it take for the use of a specific application to pay off?

Holger Riemenschneider

It is not the case that AI pays off in terms of return on investment from day one. But in most cases, the deployment is profitable after one year at the latest.

Handelsblatt Research Institute

Will AI play an even greater role in economic progress in the future?

Holger Riemenschneider

If companies use AI skillfully, it can provide strong support. However, the impetus in key areas must continue to come from people, especially when it comes to innovation. AI technologies should provide comprehensive support during implementation.

Handelsblatt Research Institute

Which factors are decisive for the success of AI applications?

Holger Riemenschneider

It is important that companies do not simply use AI directly. The question of what problem is to be solved or what the specific task is must be answered first. Only then can it be clarified in advance whether the prerequisites, such as the required data, are in place and whether the business case is worthwhile.

Simply feeding data into an AI model does not add any value. It is important to combine expertise with technology in order to identify suitable use cases. In my opinion, this combination is also a locational advantage. If we continue to succeed in this in the future, to think about expertise and technology together through cooperation between the various departments, this will also strengthen our business location.