Prof. Dr Bornemeyer, you are the president of the Rheinische Hochschule and have been working intensively on the topic of artificial intelligence for a long time. Together with your colleague, Prof. Dr Rosenthal, vice president for research and transfer, you are working on various AI projects. In March 2023, the construction of the innovation campus for artificial intelligence AI Village in Hürth began.
How did the AI Village project come to the Rhine University of Applied Sciences? What exactly is happening there? Perhaps you can both give us an insight into what makes this project so unique.
CB: As a university, we have been dealing with the topic of AI for a long time. A major field of study in AI and associated laboratories has existed for several years. But with the rapid developments towards generative AI, an incredible amount has changed, of course. For us, the ‘AI Village’ project is a pioneering project that Susanne Rosenthal brought to the university – so I will hand over to her at this point.
With pleasure! How did it all begin, Prof. Dr. Rosenthal?
SR: At the beginning of 2020, I came into contact with the initial ideas for the Innovation Campus for Artificial Intelligence through networking work in the context of structural change initiatives. Since I have been working on machine learning and computational intelligence in various research projects since 2010, I was enthusiastic about the idea. At that time, the consortium of interested parties did not yet include a university partner, and thus there was no vision of a broadly accessible, academic course programme on the subject of AI. After consulting with the university management, I brought the university into the consortium and entered into the project initiation and application process.
‘From prompt strategies to the best possible use of generative AI in everyday work...’
And both were obviously successful. What exactly is happening in the AI Village?
On the one hand, the project envisages the development of a contact point for AI in a wide range of application scenarios for companies and research, but also simply a centre for information events on AI for society. In addition, workshop series are currently being developed and in some cases already offered through the AI Village, in which specialists and company representatives can further develop their methodological and development skills in AI applications. The Rheinische Hochschule is here for academic continuing education programmes in the thematic complex of predictive manufacturing – AI – mixed reality.
Could you please explain these terms briefly?
In the future, the AI Village will offer a series of specialist workshops on AI and technical innovations in the field of predictive manufacturing. The aim is to predict events and results in manufacturing and to optimise the production process, for example, by reducing errors and conserving resources. Using mixed reality, the results of simulations of the process chain can be merged with the real products in real time as an add-on and evaluated. These offers are available – via the AI Village – primarily to companies affected by structural change. Another offer is the acquisition of methodological skills in dealing with AI tools, e.g. for the MICE industry.
Speaking of the MICE industry: the workshop series on this has been developed by the Cologne University of Applied Sciences together with the Cologne Convention Bureau (CCB). How can the CCB partners benefit? What exactly do they learn there?
CB: First of all, it was a pleasure to develop this series together. There were many ideas – ‘AI’ is a very broad topic. In the end, a programme has been developed in close collaboration that best meets the needs of the industry. From prompt strategies for the best possible use of generative AI in everyday work, to process optimisation in event planning and the development of content for content marketing, to individual implementation strategies: The aim is to work together on these topics and get straight down to implementing them. It's great that the CCB has taken the initiative for its partners here and made this offer possible.
The use of generative AI affects more and more areas of work. Can you give specific examples of how the new technologies are used in day-to-day work and how the Rheinische Hochschule Köln is responding to them in research and teaching?
SR: One socially relevant topic that is currently presenting us with technological challenges is the phase-out of lignite. The energy supply of the future is hybrid; energy from renewable technologies must be efficiently integrated into the existing grid and efficiently utilised. To achieve this, we need to develop new technologies and train skilled workers. For example, in the production of hydrogen and electricity from renewable energy systems, the development of robust virtual power plants and battery research for the energy sector and electric mobility. For this purpose, we have set up a laboratory and transfer centre for sustainable renewable energy systems at our campus in Ehrenfeld. Here, we provide practical teaching on future-oriented technologies and conduct research.
Another ‘new technology’ is the use and development of applications in mixed reality (MR) for production processes. The use of these technologies in the production process enables new resource-saving development potential. Therefore, the university also focuses on this technological development environment.
The new technologies are also being incorporated into teaching: in order to prepare students for their working lives in the best possible way, methodological expertise in AI, i.e. teaching skills in using AI tools, is being incorporated into all courses of study across all departments. The market is currently changing rapidly in this respect, so the focus is not limited to individual tools, but rather generic skills in practical application are taught.
Ms Bornemeyer, you have been chairing and speaking for the Kölner Wissenschaftsrunde (KWR) think tank since 2023. The KWR focuses on networking the region's economic and scientific potential. To what extent does AI play a role here?
CB: The KWR currently brings together 17 Cologne universities, seven research institutions, the city of Cologne and the Cologne Chamber of Commerce under its umbrella. Such a strong scientific community in Cologne means great potential for creativity and innovation. AI is playing a major role in the KWR's current events. The events generally address topics that move science and society – and AI is, of course, strongly represented there. The Cologne Science Round Table also addresses other socially relevant topics. For example, topics from the field of health with questions about performance and well-being, gender medicine, virtual realities from the field of technology, but also political topics, such as distribution conflicts in climate policy. All KWR events are open to everyone in Cologne – we look forward to an intensive exchange!
‘Cologne is a great location – here you can see many innovative developments at an early stage...’
Professor Bornemeyer, you are the President of the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, spokesperson for the Cologne Science Round Table and a Doctor of Business Administration. Professor Rosenthal, as Vice President for Research and Transfer and Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, you also hold demanding positions. How do you both assess your work-life balance in this challenging environment? For example, do you use AI-supported tools to optimise this balance and find sufficient relaxation?
SR: I don't use AI for personal purposes myself. However, I found it inspiring in the field of my hobby, music, to complete the first attempts at Mozart's Requiem or Schubert's ‘Unfinished’ with AI. So far, the completions have been rejected, so that as a listener you continue to be presented with the compositions unfinished in the concert halls.
CB: ‘Work’ and ‘life’ are already quite closely intertwined in some ways. Cologne is a great place to be – here you can see many innovative developments in everyday life at an early stage: digital shopping trolleys in the supermarket, virtual reality tours of historic Cologne, and much more.
Generative AI will help to make both ‘work’ and ‘life’ more pleasant. It is important to stay on the ball in order to be able to decide where and how AI offers the greatest potential for each of us personally. At the moment, I tend to use AI in the ‘work’ sphere and I am an observer of AI-based optimisation in the home, for example, in the form of lawn mowing and window cleaning robots.
Ms Bornemeyer, Ms Rosenthal, thank you very much for this conversation!