It was anything but “old wine in new bottles” at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT—quite the opposite, in fact: The highly innovative nature of the topics at the Future Skills Convention came across particularly impressively in the classic setting of Birlinghoven Castle. For example, the keynote address by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Prinz (Fraunhofer FIT) focused not only on skills for humans but also on those of AI agents and how the two can complement each other effectively.

During the panel discussion, it became clear, among other things, just how much the introduction and integration of technology—such as AI technologies—is also an organizational challenge. Processes must be analyzed and simulated to enable successful collaboration between humans and technology, according to Fabian Wagner, Head of the Digitalization Office for the City of Troisdorf, and Prof. Dr. Marion Halfmann, President of Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences. Carsten Reffgen, CEO of Enterprise Open Systems, explained the concept of social engineering. Organizational measures are needed to ensure that employees carry out security-related actions thoughtfully or ask questions when necessary. In municipal infrastructure, due to strict data protection requirements, AI can only be operated using internal data without any exchange over the Internet, noted Ralf van Grinsven, Head of the IT Department for the City of Sankt Augustin. Arne von Hofe, CSCP, advocated for using AI technology to address current societal challenges and promote sustainability. In the afternoon, participants took part in workshops covering various topics related to digitalization and artificial intelligence. ILAG representative Dr. Andrea Altepost met old friends and made inspiring new connections—many thanks to the organizers, Prof. Dr. Britta Essing and Dr. René Reiners (Fraunhofer FIT), and for the discussions with, among others, Alexander Miller (Trowista), Fabian Wagner (Head of the Digitalization Unit for the City of Troisdorf), and Dr. Leif Oppermann (Fraunhofer FIT).