Duration: November 2020 - October 2025
Total funding volume: 10.7 million euros
University funding volume: 743,000 euros
Funded by: Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Artificial intelligence (AI for short) technology is associated with far-reaching potential and opportunities for transforming industrial value creation. However, AI is still perceived as a predominantly technical option. An understanding of AI in the labour context as a comprehensive socio-technical challenge has been established to some extent. To date, however, there has been a lack of holistic labour research in the context of AI that is close to SMEs and provides solutions and application knowledge. This discrepancy is being addressed in this project, which is based on a comprehensive approach to the topic by linking people - organisation - technology and a solution- and transfer-oriented focus in implementation. The goal is a regional competence centre "AI in the working world of industrial SMEs" (KIAM). It will act as a contact point for companies and all other players in the industrial working world.

Expertise management, employee participation and technology acceptance

Artificial intelligence will fundamentally change the world of work: AI systems support work processes, take over tasks and create new fields of work. The identification of possible applications and the development of concrete solutions pose challenges for small and medium-sized companies in particular, such as a lack of professionals or unclear organisational and technological requirements. The KIAM competence centre brings together findings from work research in this future field. The centre focuses on topics such as workplace design, skills development and change management. In lighthouse projects, research institutions and companies develop concrete solutions in which AI technologies are made available for various fields of application.

Transfer to the SME sector

The results and experiences from the lighthouse projects are to be made available to small and medium-sized enterprises. To this end, an information platform will be set up, good examples will be prepared and events and workshops will be organised. Employees will be trained in the use of AI technologies in further training programmes. In transfer projects, companies can use new AI technologies in cooperation with a research institution to solve specific challenges in their company. Transfer partners of the competence centre, such as owl maschinenbau and OstWestfalenLippe GmbH, provide support.