The Lidl parent company Schwarz Group is becoming a digital player. Co-digital boss Rolf Schumann explains what makes his company tick, why cashiers shouldn’t fear AI and how he tricked computers as a boy.
After Rolf Schumann’s talk at the DLD conference in Munich, the first person to hug him was a younger man in a jacket. It’s Jonas Andrulis, founder of Aleph Alpha, the most hyped German AI start-up. Schumann is co-head of Schwarz Digits, the digital division of the Schwarz Group, and is now one of the most important players in the German AI landscape. The group is known for its Lidl and Kaufland retail chains, and is now supporting Aleph Alpha and other AI projects. How Lidl founder Dieter Schwarz’s group is entering the cloud, cybersecurity and AI business is unprecedented. After his appearance, IT manager Schumann explains the Lidl Group’s cyber offensive.