Alemania ostenta desde hace muchos años (ya antes de la I Guerra Mundial) un puesto destacado en el ámbito industrial, así como una generalizada reputación de eficiencia; aunque hay quien sostiene que se confunde eficiencia con la "afición desmesurada por las reglas", e incluso eso quedó dañado tras el escándalo de Volkswagen de hace unos años.
En cualquier caso, tras salir a flote del agujero de la II Guerra Mundial gracias al 'milagro económico', Alemania ha sido una de las potencias industriales que ha logrado sacar provecho de la globalización, al haberse centrado en mejorar su competitividad y concentrar su producción industrial en bienes de capital de alto valor añadido, con lo que ha logrado sortear en gran medida la tendencia de desindustrialización en favor de las naciones emergentes no occidentales.
Pero esta nación que algunos aún denominan 'la locomotora de Europa', ¿ha sido acaso capaz de mantener su liderazgo en esta era de las TICs, concretamente en campos como la inteligencia artificial? Asgard Capital, un fondo de inversión especializado en inteligencia artificial ha publicado desde el año pasado varios informes que nos ayudan a responder a esa pregunta.
Octava potencia en el sector, apuesta ahora por consolidar su marca 'IA hecha en Alemania'
Según Asgard, Alemania ocupa el 8 puesto en la distribución global de startups de IA con un 3%, pisándole los talones a Francia (que ocupa el 7º puesto con un 3,1% de las startups), mientras que su capital, Berlín (que acoge el 54% de la industria IA de Alemania) ostenta el puesto 12 en el ranking de ciudades.
A modo de referencia, España ostenta el puesto 13º (con 1/3 del número de startups de Alemania) y queda fuera del TOP20 de ciudades.
"Son economías fuertes con un gran mercado interno. Pero, en comparación con el tamaño de la economía, estamos especialmente decepcionados con los esfuerzos de Francia y Alemania para desarrollar su capacidad de liderazgo de la industria de la IA, pequeños en comparación con los Estados Unidos, China e Israel", afirma Fabian Westerheide, CEO de Asgard.
Conscientes de ese problema, el gobierno alemán aprobó la semana pasada un documento llamado "IA hecha en Alemania" que será presentado durante la Cumbre Digital 2018 que se celebrará en Nuremberg el mes que viene, y que recoge un plan para invertir 3.000 millones de euros en el sector de la IA en Alemania, desde el año que viene hasta el 2025.
Merkel ya hablaba el pasado abril sobre la necesidad de entrar a competir contra China en materia de IA. Sólo 3 meses más tarde su gobierno daba a conocer los primeros detalles del documento aprobado hace unos días en Postdam.
El objetivo, según el ejecutivo germano, es el de "alcanzar y mantener una excelencia y liderazgo global tanto en la investigación y el desarrollo como en la aplicación de la IA en Alemania y Europa", así como el de consolidar la "IA hecha en Alemania" como una marca de calidad a nivel mundial.
Pero el medio público alemán Deutsche-Welle recoge cierto escepticismo por parte de los grandes nombres del sector de aquel país: "3.000 millones es mucho menos de los que empresas como Microsoft y Google invierten en inteligencia artificial en un solo año. Así que la gente no debe pensar que Alemania se convertirá repentinamente en un líder mundial del sector capaz de competir con EE.UU y China", afirma Michael Feindt, fundador de la empresa de IA Blue Yonder y profesor del Instituto de Tecnología de Karlsruhe.
Feindt apunta también a las dos razones que explicarían por qué Alemania se ha dejado adelantar en el campo de la IA: la obsesión nacional por la privacidad (un tema al que Google tuvo que hacer frente tras lanzar allí su servicio Street View) y la "mentalidad de valorar más el hardware que cosas abstractas (...) como el software, los algoritmos y los datos".
AI Made in Germany: The German Strategy for Artificial Intelligence
In November 2018, the German government published its strategy for artificial intelligence¹. The following is a summary of the 12 fields of action and 14 goals proposed.
12 fields of action
- Strengthen research in Germany and Europe to be a driver of innovation
This is to be achieved by establishing a strong, dynamic, flexible, broadly and interdisciplinary AI ecosystem in Germany that is internationally competitive. Excellent research, the recruitment of first-class experts and the creation of an innovation-friendly environment are central to this. - Innovation competitions and European innovation clusters
Targeted AI competitions are intended to create freedom to stimulate disruptive ideas, to find new solutions, applications and business models, to initiate start-ups, to attract talent and to identify trends at an early stage and to receive multidisciplinary impulses from various directions. - Transfer to business, strengthen medium-sized businesses
The German government will focus on measures that will enable German companies of all sizes — from start-ups to SMEs to large corporations — not only to use AI applications, but also to develop them and integrate them into their business processes. - Fostering the founding of new businesses and leading them to success
The Federal Government will set new impulses for the stimulation of the start-up dynamics for AI-based business models and products. The key issue here is to improve access to venture capital as a whole, but also and especially in the growth phase, which is often particularly capital-intensive for AI-based business models. To this end, the government will create specific incentives for investors and encourage and promote a significantly higher number of spin-offs from research. - World of work and labour market: shaping structural change
The use of artificial intelligence will fundamentally change the everyday working lives of many people. The Federal Government will support all employees in this change with a variety of measures based on a national continuing education strategy. We will promote, analyse, evaluate and critically accompany the use of AI, both in individual companies and through higher-level observatories, nationally and internationally. - Strengthening vocational training and attracting skilled labour/experts
The Federal Government will use all its possibilities to improve the framework conditions for AI in Germany and will also encourage and support the federal german states to do so. We need a broad public understanding of AI, especially among young people, and new content and ideas for initial, continuing and further training. Germany needs an even more attractive framework for research and teaching in order to attract and retain scientists and to create new chairs at universities. - Using AI for tasks reserved for the state and administrative tasks
The Federal Government will take a pioneering role by using AI in the administration and will offer faster, better and more efficient administrative services for the citizens. - Making data available and facilitating its use
With a variety of measures, the Federal Government will significantly increase the amount of usable, high-quality data in order to establish Germany as the world’s leading AI location without violating personal rights, the right to informational self-determination or other fundamental rights. - Adapting the regulatory framework
The Federal Government will review and, if necessary, adapt the legal framework for algorithm- and AI-based decisions, services and products to ensure effective protection against bias, discrimination, manipulation or other misuse. - Setting standards
Due to its national responsibility, the Federal Government will also work in cooperation with business representatives in the field of AI for standards and standard setting at national, European and international level through the national standards organizations DIN/DKE. This is not only about technical issues, but also about ethical ones. - National and international networking
Sooner or later, cross-sectional technologies such as AI will affect all areas of science, business, administration and the everyday lives of citizens. Development is global, which is why politics also has to think and act across borders. The Federal Government will therefore increasingly expand international cooperation and bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the field of AI. - Engaging in dialogue with society and continuing the development of the frame- work for policy action
In order to bring research, development and application of AI in Germany to a worldwide leading level, an educated and informed society is needed. This requires intensive social dialogues, participatory procedures and opportunities for everyone to participate in shaping the society. For this reason, the Federal Government will intensify the social dialogue and the education on artificial intelligence and transparently present and discuss both the opportunities of AI for each individual and the common good as well as possible risks and challenges.
The German Federal Government pursues 14 goals with its national AI strategy
- “Artificial Intelligence (AI) made in Germany” is to become a globally recognized seal of quality.
- Germany should expand its strong position in industry 4.0 and become a leader in AI applications in this area. The strong German midmarket should also benefit from AI applications.
- Germany is to become an attractive location for the world’s brightest AI minds.
- The focus should always be on the benefits of AI for citizens.
- In Germany, data are to be used exclusively for the benefit of society, the environment, the economy and the state.
- With a new infrastructure for real-time data transmission, the basis for new AI applications is to be created.
- AI in Germany is to be accompanied by a high level of IT security.
- AI research and use should be ethically and legally embedded in Germany.
- A European response to data-based business models and new ways of data-based value creation is to be found that corresponds to our economic, value and social structure.
- Also in the working world it should always be about AI for the benefit of all gainfully employed persons.
- The potential of AI should make living and working areas safer, more efficient and more sustainable.
- AI is intended to promote social participation, freedom of action and self-determination for citizens.
- The potential of AI should be used for sustainable development and thus contribute to achieving the sustainability goals of Agenda 2030.
- For AI applications, framework conditions are set that create and maintain diversity and guarantee the space offered for the development of cultural and media freedoms.