The first “Community Forum reAIlize” event was held within the framework of the AI Application and Test Center (ATKI) at Fraunhofer IIS/EAS and centered around the final of the eponymous competition. Among the various submissions from small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), a total of five use cases were particularly convincing to the jury, which was made up of representatives of business networks in Saxony. Accordingly, these five companies were awarded a one-day workshop in order to determine the status quo of their respective ideas. They also took part in an event where they pitched their planned AI use cases to the jury for a chance to win the first prize, which was ultimately awarded to tracetronic GmbH and will see Fraunhofer experts from ATKI support this medium-sized business for six months as it takes the first steps toward realizing its AI use case “TAIA – Testing AI Assistant.” This deals with the development of a tool for testing automotive software, which is to be optimized using AI. As part of this project, the scientists will not only apply their expertise in data analysis but also carry out a cost-benefit analysis of the use case in question. Regular public updates and publications on the implementation status of this reference project will seek to provide numerous other SMEs with the necessary impetus to use AI. The specific example will help them understand the fundamental steps that lead to success when it comes to evaluating and implementing AI ideas.

Dr. Katja Lohmann-Schwitale, head of the reAIlize competition, explains: “This competition provides examples that Saxony-based SMEs can use as a reference, and which are intended as a source of ideas for the profitable use of AI at companies. In addition, very specific examples are used to provide a practical demonstration of how AI ideas can be evaluated and implemented at companies, and of the opportunities for support along the way.” With this in mind, the company pitches were accompanied by brief insights into applied AI research as well as a panel discussion. Topics addressed included: “How much economic potential does AI actually harbor?” and “How can SMEs also make profitable use of AI?” In the networking break, participants also had a chance to discover various AI demonstrators from Fraunhofer IIS/EAS. The program was accompanied by an “idea gallery” showcasing use cases of other submissions to the competition, as well as an opportunity for discussions with experts and representatives of companies and associations. “I’m already looking forward to future installments of the Community Forum. These events will provide us with an opportunity to jointly monitor how experts from ATKI approach evaluating the status quo of AI use cases and what support is provided when it comes to implementing the winning use case,” says Lohmann-Schwitale on the future of the AI ideas competition.

The next Community Forum reAIlize will be held from 11.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. on September 26, 2024, as a side event to the futureSAX Innovation Forum in Plauen. Here, Fraunhofer IIS/EAS will devote its attention to the central question of the event: “How can companies implement digital technologies in order to optimize their business processes and remain competitive?” The researchers will examine the procedure for evaluating AI ideas and consider an example use case as the basis for an in-depth look at the first steps in achieving their own AI solution: problem definition, goal-setting, and data acquisition and preparation.