Bringing Workplace AI to Life: A Journey with Fraunhofer IAO's KI-Studios

Wednesday - April 3 2024, 14:47 UTC - 7 months ago

Fraunhofer IAO's KI-Studios project aims to educate and familiarize employees with AI technology, emphasizing its potential and addressing concerns. The project consists of physical workshops and a mobile team that provides demonstrations and hands-on workshops. The KI-Infomobil showcases AI technology and its potential applications, empowering employees to make informed decisions. The project works closely with employee representatives for a better understanding and acceptance of AI in the workplace.

As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace is becoming more prevalent. Many industries in Germany are already utilizing AI, and it is expected that this trend will continue to grow in the future. However, with the rapid development of AI technology, there are also growing concerns and anxieties about its potential impact on the workplace .

It is with this in mind that the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO has launched their KI-Studios project, aimed at educating and familiarizing employees with AI, as well as emphasizing its potential and allaying fears about its use.The KI-Studios project is a multi-faceted approach to engaging with AI in the workplace. It consists of both physical workshops and a mobile team, known as the KI-Infomobil, that travels to businesses to provide on-site demonstrations and hands-on workshops .

The project team aims to not only showcase how AI technology works, but also to work closely with employee representatives, such as works councils, to ensure a better understanding and acceptance of AI in the workplace. Verena Pohl, an applied AI specialist at Fraunhofer IAO, explains, "What really makes our project special is that we are going straight to employees and their representatives within organizations .

Our goal is to unlock a better and more concrete understanding of AI and provide employees with a feel for where AI might be a useful addition to their work environment. We want to empower them to make sound decisions about AI and its implementation within their companies."The first KI-Studio opened in Munich in September 2023, and another was added in Stuttgart in February 2024. These hands-on brick-and-mortar workshops are supplemented by the KI-Infomobil, a van equipped with interactive AI demonstrators .

These demonstrators showcase various AI technologies, such as language models and image generators, and provide a better understanding of how AI works. In addition, the KI-Infomobil also offers workshops for employees to explore where AI applications could be implemented within their organizations and what steps are needed to successfully integrate them.Dennis Klau, an applied AI expert at Fraunhofer IAO, expands on the project's approach, saying, "Our goal is to put companies and their employees in the driver's seat, taking away that sense of passive powerlessness .

For them to be able to make sound decisions, they need to understand AI and the basics of how it works."To foster that understanding, the KI-Infomobil is equipped with two types of demonstrators. The first focuses on concrete application scenarios to showcase where AI could be used in real-world situations. The second type of demonstrator showcases various AI technologies and how they work. This includes interactive demonstrations that explain the concept of transfer learning and allow employees to experiment with AI and its potential applications in their own scenarios .

By providing a hands-on and approachable experience, the KI-Studios project aims to bridge the gap between employees and AI technology.In conclusion, the Fraunhofer IAO's KI-Studios project is not only a vehicle for showcasing the potential and capabilities of AI, but also a means of addressing any anxieties and concerns about its use in the workplace. With a focus on education, understanding, and hands-on exploration, the KI-Studios aims to empower employees to see AI as a valuable addition to their work environment, rather than a threat to their job security .