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But the transformative power of multidisciplinary technologies like AI also poses major questions for society generally. The real challenge, therefore, is for industry and politics to work as partners and proactively shape the industrial transformation. With this in mind, the new Industrial Pioneers Summit at HANNOVER MESSE 2019 will be taking a look into the future to see what’s next after Industry 4.0.

Hannover. Industry 4.0 is already a reality in many companies, shaping daily work routines in production and logistics. But what’s next? What’s on the horizon after Industry 4.0? What are the challenges, and what are the opportunities and risks of industrial transformation? The new Industrial Pioneers Summit at HANNOVER MESSE 2019 has been created specifically to find answers to these questions. On Tuesday 2 April (12:30–6:00 p.m., Room 2, Convention Center), forward thinkers and visionaries from business, politics and society generally will gather to discuss tomorrow’s intelligent factories. The discussions will focus on innovative developments and the change processes resulting from them. The topic areas discussed will include augmented reality, the new 5G telephony standard and various innovative transport solutions that may result from technologies such as Hyperloop.

Among the business pioneers taking the stage will be Klaus Helmrich, Siemens AG; Dr. Detlef Zühlke, smartfactory-KL e. V.; Christine Bowles, Intel Corporation; Volkhard Bregulla, Hewlett Packard Enterprises; Vincent Peng, Huawei; Åsa Tamsons, Ericsson; Georg Kube, SAP SE; and Dirk Ahlborn, founder and CEO of the US-based startup Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT). HTT is developing the Hyperloop, a transportation concept that envisages propelling people and goods in pods inside in a sealed system of tubes at speeds of up to 1,200 km/h (over 700 mph).

There will also be speakers from the very highest levels of politics, including EU Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger, while the wider societal aspects of technological transformation will be covered off by such heavyweights as Microsoft’s Cağlayan Arkan. To quote Arkan: "Increased levels of automation open up new types of careers and new sources of reskilled workers. This is only the start. We have a significant opportunity ahead of us all."

The premiere of the Industrial Pioneers Summit is expected to feature more than 500 participants. The participation fee is €150; and the summit will be conducted in English, with simultaneous interpreting into German.

The new summit has the European Commission as its official patron and is supported by the following partners and sponsors: German Association for the Digital Economy (BVDW), German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), Ericsson, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Huawei, Intel, Microsoft, Siemens, German Engineering Federation (VDMA) and German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI).