The federal government is hoping that the Digital Council will have the external expertise required for the politicians to organize digital transformation in Germany successfully. Its establishment was enshrined in the Coalition Agreement (line 2025 f.). The aim is to bring about close interaction between politicians and both national and international experts.

Particular attention is therefore being paid to the selection of its members. They include Chris Boos, founder of the specialist artificial intelligence company Arago, Stephanie Kaiser, founder of the healthcare startup Heartbeat Labs, and Andreas Weigend, who has a doctorate in physics and teaches at Stanford University and the University of California. They and the other seven appointees all embody practical experience and innovation, according to the federal government. The intention is that politicians will transform their ideas into reality.

Meanwhile, the digital association Bitkom is calling for prompt action: Germany faces a problem of implementation as far as political support for digitization is concerned, said its president Achim Berg. Whether it’s broadband infrastructure or a strategy for artificial intelligence – the projects must be put into practice “quickly and decisively.”