AI summit on the Rhine: future or fear for German companies?

AI summit on the Rhine: future or fear for German companies?

The future of artificial intelligence (AI) was the central theme of an exciting event that took place on September 16, 2025 on the MS RheinMagie from Cologne to Düsseldorf. Around 600 business representatives had a lively discussion about the opportunities and challenges that AI brings with it. The event was organized by the Digitale Stadt Düsseldorf e.V. in cooperation with several prominent partners such as RheinEnergie and the Unternehmerschaft Düsseldorf und Umwelt e.V. In addition to the concern for data protection and the need for decision-makers to act more quickly, the creation of digital identities for driver's licenses and ID cards from 2027 was also announced.

The discussions kicked off with the first round entitled “AI meets quantum technology”. Astrid Lambrecht, Minister for Digitalization, emphasized the importance of the new Jupiter supercomputer in Jülich, whose high data processing speed opens up new opportunities for companies. This technology, complemented by quantum machine learning (QML), could enable real breakthrough innovations in AI and influence a variety of social areas, such as logistics or the financial sector. Prof. Christian Bauckhage from Fraunhofer IAIS emphasizes that many tasks are complex and digital computers have difficulty solving them. Quantum computers could tackle such problems in record time, which could revolutionize many applications, including detecting money laundering in finance or drug testing in biotechnology, as artificial intelligence can increasingly be used in climate research in 2024.

On the right path to digitalization

Andreas Feicht, CEO of RheinEnergie, pointed out that Germany is lagging behind in international comparison when it comes to digitalization and that there is a great need for cost-effective energy. In the second round of discussion, moderated by Karin-Brigitte Göbel, futurist Christoph Gümbel said that other countries such as China have already developed clear plans for the future. In contrast, Martin Vesper emphasized Europe's strengths, while Viacheslav Gromov called for more decision-making ability and courage in the economy.

A highlight of the event was the start-up pitch competition “Company in Flow”. The start-ups neuland.ai, VitrafluidiX and Vivalyx competed against each other, with Vivalyx emerging as the winner with a synthetic blood substitute. Such innovative approaches show how creativity and technology can work hand in hand to find solutions to pressing problems.

Networking and outlook

After the stimulating discussions, the participants had the opportunity to exchange ideas and network in a relaxed atmosphere. Those present included not only business representatives, but also consuls and representatives from various countries, which illustrated the international dimension of the topic. The exchange about artificial intelligence and digitalization is crucial because developments in these areas could fundamentally change our lives in the coming years and create completely new markets.

The event confirmed once again: There is still a lot of potential to be discovered in the world of AI and quantum technologies. It will be interesting to see where this journey ultimately takes us.