The use of artificial intelligence is widely discussed in society. AI raises many questions, especially in relation to our working world. But AI also influences our learning. KARL in Karlsruhe is one of eight regional competence centers created to investigate the effects of AI on the topics of work and learning with and about AI.
The aim of KARL is to make these impacts tangible. To achieve this, real places for experiencing, experimenting and learning are being created and interconnected. At the same time, pilot projects of companies, which are scientifically accompanied, serve as an inspiration for interested parties.
The results will be presented in demonstration centers, offered in specific further education courses for professionals and integrated into the relevant study programs of the participating universities. The main focus of KARL is on the human being. This is intended to initiate a broad societal discourse. The Karlsruhe region, with the national digital hub for applied AI and the leading IT cluster in Europe, offers the best conditions for this.
As part of KARL, nine research and transfer partners and eleven regional companies received almost eight million euros in funding from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) until 2025.
As part of the KARL joint project funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), Fraunhofer ISI, together with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, is offering a two-day, modular course entitled “AI in the Workplace,” in which companies can acquire basic knowledge and skills related to AI.
The aim is to highlight the technical, organizational, and human-centered perspectives of introducing AI in companies. At the end of the training, participants develop an AI roadmap that directly incorporates what they have learned into their future approach. The training is ideal preparation for getting your own employees ready for planned or upcoming AI implementations.
Many German industrial companies that are bringing previously outsourced tasks back in-house or want to utilize their production capacities to the full due to seasonal peaks are faced with the problem of having to train new employees quickly. AI can help to systematically identify the skills and learning requirements for insourcing projects and to deliver training seminars tailored to specific needs.
The project is developing a so-called AI2Insource playbook, in which AI-supported tools are designed and tested on the basis of existing AI models to help companies impart the necessary skills in a flexible, individualized, low-threshold, and efficient manner. The content is being tested in four specific application scenarios at medium-sized industrial companies. These include knowledge-intensive development activities as well as complex assembly and packaging activities. In addition, the effects of insourcing on the resilience of manufacturing companies will be examined.
The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the European Union through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus) as part of the “Future of Work” program.
With the help of the development of AI Readiness, the dissemination of AI in the manufacturing industry is specifically analysed. On the basis of representative operational data on the use of AI technologies in the industrial enterprises of Baden-Württemberg and Germany, the actual AI readiness can thus be determined, comparisons can be made and essential patterns can be analysed. The results provide essential fields of action and options for stakeholders from politics and industry regarding to the key topic of AI in production.
Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI