Berlin, October 24, 2024 – At one of Germany’s largest AI events, the Microsoft AI Tour 2024 in Berlin, German companies showed today how they use artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize business processes, train employees more quickly and address the shortage of skilled workers. In his opening keynote, Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, introduced, among other things, the new autonomous AI agents that can be built tailor-made for the AI-supported productivity tool Microsoft 365 Copilot – and which make it easy to automate time-consuming workflows. At the Microsoft AI Tour in the CityCube at the Berlin exhibition center, he met with many managers from business – from start-ups to large companies.
Germany is one stop on the global Microsoft AI Tour, which began in Mexico City in September and will take place in 39 cities through March. In Berlin alone there were more than that today 65 Sessions with over 100 top-class speakers. In addition to Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft Germany, Agnes Heftberger, as well as other leading managers from Microsoft and other companies also spoke.
“AI creates opportunities for innovation and economic growth that benefit people across professions, businesses, communities and nations,” said Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft. “Our commitment to training skilled workers and our recent investments in cloud and AI infrastructure in Germany help ensure that people and companies can reap the benefits of this new technology. It’s great to see how many companies here already trust our AI platforms and tools to actively shape the future of Germany and the entire world.”
Artificial intelligence: a decisive factor for Germany as a business location
During his talks and keynote speech in front of over 3,000 guests, Satya Nadella emphasized how artificial intelligence (AI) helps to strengthen Germany as a business location and make everyday life easier for many people. Microsoft’s AI solutions and the Microsoft Azure Cloud made it possible for companies to increase their productivity and strengthen international competitiveness. What is particularly important to him is the responsible use of AI and compliance with the highest security standards, as is the case with Microsoft solutions „by Design“ make possible.
A good example is the new ones autonomous AI agentswhich can be quickly created for Microsoft 365 Copilot and then used in a variety of Microsoft programs. They do a lot: from gathering important data to working independently by creating and executing plans to automatically alerting you to problems. The possibility of creating autonomous AI agents yourself with Copilot Studio is possible in public preview from November. In addition, the business process software Microsoft Dynamics 365 is expanded with ten new autonomous AI agents that support sales, service, finance and supply chain management.
With strong partners: Alliance for AI competence launched in Germany
At the event in Berlin, Agnes Heftberger, together with Satya Nadella, also gave the starting signal for the Alliance for AI Competence in Germany, which aims to enable employees in companies – from industry leaders to small and medium-sized companies – to to further educate themselves on the topic of AI and thus exploit the great economic potential that artificial intelligence promises for Germany. “Many associations and companies are already doing excellent work in further training in the area of artificial intelligence,” emphasizes Heftberger. “Our goal is to learn from each other and adopt proven recipes for success.
Cross-industry innovation: Best examples of AI use in German companies presented
Satya Nadella also met companies that are leaders in the use of artificial intelligence in Germany. He highlighted how local companies can drive AI innovation in industry, education, commerce, transportation, healthcare and other areas through strategic partnerships. Standout examples at the Microsoft AI Tour in Berlin included:
- thyssenkrupp and Siemens: Machine manufacturer thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering is testing Siemens Industrial Copilot, which is based on Azure OpenAI Service, to program the controller for its machines (the PLC code) using natural language input. This means that machines that are used, for example, for automatic quality control in systems that produce batteries for electric cars can be set up much more quickly. thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering will use the AI assistant on a large scale.
- IU International University: With over 130,000 students, the IU is the largest and fastest growing university in Germany. She developed the AI learning assistant Syntea, which uses Azure OpenAI Service and makes learning more autonomous, personal and flexible for IU students. Syntea appears as a speaking avatar, which is also integrated into Microsoft Teams and, in the future, into Microsoft 365 Copilot. IU students can complete their online courses an average of 27 percent faster by using Syntea, IU evaluations show. She also has the IU Copilot School featuring Microsoft launched, which combines academic training with the teaching of AI skills.
- Lufthansa: The Lufthansa Group is continually testing new approaches to improving the travel experience and is also exploring the possibilities of generative AI. For example, as part of a test in the Lufthansa Group Digital Hangar, an animated 3D avatar was developed that uses dialogues in natural language to take you from the initial inspiration for a trip to booking a flight. Generative AI from Microsoft has also been used to implement other possible applications, such as expanding the chat assistant, processing claims for damages and automatically expanding the content of the website.
- Ottobock: Ottobock’s innovative prostheses help people with disabilities to move as freely and independently as possible. The medical technology company uses AI to both facilitate the manufacturing process for orthopedic technology specialists and to further improve wearing comfort for users. The optimization of the individual fitting parts is crucial for comfort, for which Ottobock uses, among other things, Azure OpenAI Service with GPT-4o. Further applications with AI are in the works. Artificial intelligence can therefore play a decisive role in the quality and quantity of healthcare services.
- OTTO and Medgate: OTTO has introduced GitHub Copilot and the entire GitHub platform for all 2,800 software developers. This enabled them to create numerous AI applications that are used, for example, in e-commerce channels, in live shopping or by various subsidiaries. One example is the Otto Group company Medgate: It has developed a copilot that offers doctors tools to support them with administrative work relating to patient consultations.
There is more information about the Microsoft AI Tour Berlin and Satya Nadella’s visit to Germany as well as photos here.
About Microsoft
Microsoft Deutschland GmbH, founded in 1983 as a branch of Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, USA), employs over 3,000 people in Germany at seven locations in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart and Walldorf. Together with our 30,000 partners in Germany, we support companies with innovative solutions for the intelligent cloud and the intelligent edge so that they are successfully positioned for digital transformation and the AI age. In addition, Microsoft is a leading global provider in areas such as productive software solutions, IT security, innovative hardware and development platforms that are also based on open source technology. With our career network LinkedIn, we connect more than 950 million people worldwide and enable a cross-platform gaming experience with Xbox and Game Pass. Microsoft is investing in the expansion of AI infrastructure and cloud capacities as well as in the qualification of skilled workers in Germany. Together with politics, business and science, we participate in a wide range of initiatives and projects so that everyone can participate in the progress of the digital society.
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