(Frankfurt a. M., 11.12.2023) At the second AI Quality Summit in Frankfurt, international players from business, science, politics, administration and society will spend two days discussing the quality of artificial intelligence (AI). AI already plays a major role in society today, and it is foreseeable that the technology will soon be suitable for mass use. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, twelve percent of companies already use artificial intelligence. Many more are planning or at least considering using it. While the benefits are undisputed, there are still major uncertainties regarding the quality and trustworthiness of AI models and systems. This challenge remains even with the European Union's AI regulation. The AI Quality & Testing Hub (AIQ), a company founded by the state of Hesse and the VDE, aims to provide guidance in this area.
Compliance with the AI Regulation requires assured quality of AI products
The summit will focus on quality aspects of artificial intelligence such as robustness, resilience, performance, traceability, transparency and security. Dr. Michael Rammensee, Managing Director of AIQ: "We need to put artificial intelligence to the test and promote the quality of AI systems. To this end, we are bringing together experts from all over the world at our AI Quality Summit. The goal must be to provide users with trustworthy access to intelligent applications."
Whether electrical safety, energy or medical technology, standardization or testing and certification - the VDE is deeply rooted in the international networks of technology development and also contributes its expertise in the field of artificial intelligence. Dr. Beate Mand, Deputy Chairwoman of the VDE Executive Board: "In the dynamic era of artificial intelligence, we see a key role for the future of technology, the economy and society. As a pioneer of technological innovation, the VDE has set itself the task of driving forward the development and application of technologies in order to enable sustainable progress in Germany, Europe and worldwide. That is why we are committed to the topic of artificial intelligence with all our expertise and passion."
AIQ assists on drawing up AI seal of approval
AIQ GmbH was founded in December 2022 with the mission of promoting the quality of AI systems and making it verifiable. In November 2023, the hub was appointed to a consortium together with the VDE as one of only six renowned standardization and testing organizations in Germany, which will develop a voluntary AI quality seal as part of the MISSION KI launched by the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport. Other members of the consortium from all over Germany are CertifAI, Fraunhofer IAIS, PwC Germany and TÜV AI.Lab. MISSION KI is an initiative to promote projects and institutions in order to create transparent AI quality and testing standards and support the growth of AI innovations.
"The quality of AI has become an increasingly important topic in recent years, politically, economically and in society, not least due to the EU's AI regulation, which was finally negotiated in December," says Digital Minister Prof. Dr. Kristina Sinemus. "With the AI Quality & Testing Hub, we are addressing the fundamental need to develop secure AI technologies with high quality standards. This requires the development of standardization and testing procedures - with the AI Quality & Testing Hub, we are already leading the way in Hesse. This is also demonstrated by the appointment to the consortium on behalf of MISSION AI."
The Hessian Minister for Digital Strategy and Development has set itself the goal of making "AI made in Hessen" a trademark of the state. This ambition was formulated in the AI Future Agenda adopted in April 2022, which is designed as part of Hesse's digital strategy.
Tackling the challenges of artificial intelligence together
Dr Sebastian Hallensleben, Head of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence at VDE: "The testing of AI products is a challenge that has not yet been solved. There is a lack of frameworks for describing clear objectives and requirements for an AI system. The quality and integrity of training data also plays a role. It is precisely these practical problems that we want to discuss at the summit. We are convinced that international cooperation and knowledge sharing will make a decisive contribution to overcoming these challenges."
About the AI Quality & Testing Hub
The establishment of AIQ GmbH is an important measure on the Hessian AI agenda and is intended to further strengthen the Hessian AI ecosystem. AIQ GmbH is intended to promote AI through training and consulting as well as the development of test tools to promote the responsible development of AI innovations. AI quality is therefore a particular concern of the Hessian state government. High-quality AI strengthens the Hessian digital economy and creates trust among users.
