Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Federal Minister of Education and Research, speaking here at the Epiphany meeting of the FDP in January.
(Photo: THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP)
With a new AI action plan, Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger wants to advance research on artificial intelligence. “We are investing a total of over 1.6 billion euros in the implementation of the action plan in this legislative period,” said the FDP politician on Wednesday. In the 2024 budget, 500 million euros are planned. It is necessary to make progress in a large number of fields, such as expanding computer capacities, access to data with which AI systems have to be trained, or with specialists. “We are creating a strong AI specialist base with the six AI competence centers and 150 additional AI professorships,” she said. Stark-Watzinger also warned that one had to think in European terms in order to be able to keep up with international competition. In the USA and China in particular, the state or private IT companies are investing billions in AI. “Germany has a good, excellent starting point. But we have to give the German AI ecosystem new impetus in order to take account of the rapid development,” said the research minister. This is precisely why the development of start-ups must be encouraged. The future financing law passed by the government last week will improve the framework conditions. In 2023 there will be a doubling of AI start-up foundations in Germany. “But internationally we’re still in ninth place. That has to get better,” warned Stark-Watzinger. There are now AI applications in all areas of the economy.