Intelligent algorithms not only monitor production in smart factories, but also ensure the supply of materials. They control cognitive robots and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and initiate maintenance work on machines before defects occur. On October 15, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart will be hosting a conference on ‘ Smart Machines in Operation – Artificial Intelligence in Companies ’, to familiarize company managers with the potential of current AI technologies.

In a variety of talks, speakers from science and industry will highlight the opportunities and risks of the use of AI and provide decision-makers with the basic knowledge they require to plan their own strategies. Companies could leverage the new technology to counter the economic downturn: In its spring 2019 forecast , the EU Commission predicted GDP growth of just 0.5% for Germany.