How is artificial intelligence (AI) altering our working environment? DAAD alumnae and alumni discussed this issue at the fourth Economics and Business Administration Symposium in Frankfurt am Main. They used keynote presentations and discussions to examine all aspects of this highly topical issue and clearly illustrated AI’s considerable transformation potential. 

A scholarship creates connections: this became evident during the fourth Symposium for German DAAD alumnae and alumni in Economics and Business Administration at . This symposium focused on given the growing significance of artificial intelligence (AI). The event was staged against the modern backdrop of Germany’s banking metropolis at the beginning of July 2024. Even in the first hour, around 120 participants gathered at the high tables and shared their experiences abroad, their individual career paths and their views on the topic of AI. ‘I myself have lived in seven countries and find it very enriching to engage in conversation with people that have a similar background’, said Christin Mey, a lecturer at the and coach to technical and managerial personnel. ‘We share similar values and a strong sense of belonging to the DAAD.’

Mey, who gave a presentation arguing the opportunities that AI offers regarding the use and dissemination of positive psychology, is one of the twelve speakers who provided different perspectives on the topic of AI: the innovation’s current potential, methodical challenges and viable application possibilities were also discussed, as were ethical issues and the EU AI Act, the European Union’s AI directive. On all three days of the event, the high-calibre podium predominantly comprised DAAD alumnae and alumni – some of whom actively assisted the DAAD with the symposium’s substantive planning and arrangement.

‘The symposium was fully booked within three days’, said Dr Muriel Kim Helbig, DAAD Vice President, in her welcome address and she thanked those responsible for their commitment. She also drew attention to the fact that AI is a topic which also occupies the DAAD: we are a funding organisation that processes a huge volume of data, including in the form of scholarship and project applications. ‘AI can help with routine activities, to accelerate data processing or translation – but not in the selection of scholarship holders’, she explained. ‘Fairness, equal treatment and diversity are very important to us and so far there is no AI that can deliver these.’  

‘We require corporate co-determination opportunities’

Judith Peterka also emphasised that people and their needs must always be the focus. This DAAD alumna, who works as an advisor in the Federal Chancellery and previously ran the KI-Observatorium (AI Observatory) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, gave a presentation in which she drew attention to AI’s highly dynamic development and expounded on three scenarios for the future. ‘We need to urgently start considering how we want to shape this technical development and integrate it into society’, she said. ‘We require a broadly defined culture of professional development and corporate co-determination opportunities to prevent people becoming the machine’s servants in the future’

Dr Fabian Stephany, Assistant Professor in AI and Work at the University of Oxford, also used his presentation to debate shaping the future and advocated the integration of learning processes into everyday business life. ‘My research focuses on the opportunities of AI and my perspective of the coming years is positive’, he explained. A shortage of in the labour market was however seen as an issue for companies: ‘Training in this respect is lagging far behind demand’. This opens up career opportunities for autodidacts, even those with fewer educational qualifications – AI skills are now considered to be as valuable as a doctorate from a financial viewpoint.

Making AI systems transparent and comprehensible

Professor Kerstin Prechel, dean of the Business Administration faculty at the DHSH University of Applied Sciences, cast a critical eye on the topic of AI development and application. Based on the example of autonomous driving, she explored a series of ethical predicaments that result in unavoidable accident situations. ‘Engineers and programmers need to decide how the vehicle should react in such situations’, she said. ‘There are however no clear answers in this regard, since different ethical approaches and moral principles can be used to resolve the predicament.’ She concomitantly made the audience aware of the need for AI systems to be transparent and comprehensible. ‘Interdisciplinary solutions and heterogeneous teams are required when developing and cultivating neural networks to prevent discrimination due to AI.’  

Dr Georg Borges, Professor of Law at Saarland University, dealt with another aspect of the topic – . He illustrated the classification of AI systems into different risk categories and the associated specific requirements and provisions. The economics and business administrators subsequently discussed the tensions between the necessary underlying legal conditions and any excessive regulation that could inhibit innovation. ‘It was informative for me to hear that to date the EU AI Act only relates to a few cases‘, said DAAD alumnus Erik Sonnemann, who grapples with potential AI applications in his everyday professional life as an auditor. ‘I was also able to glean a lot of valuable information from the other presentations, such as the options that AI opens up for other domains like the health sector.’

Alumni meetings as an opportunity for networking and professional development

Sebastian Koch, who works as a research associate at Goethe University Frankfurt and is a doctoral candidate in Management and Microeconomics, also benefited from the diverse programme. ‘The topic of AI is becoming ever more significant in my field of research’, he explained. ‘This symposium has given me the opportunity to gain new perspectives on it and to subsequently discuss these with my colleagues.’ He also used the breaks, evening meal and joint boat trip on the Main to establish new contacts. ‘Even beforehand, I was already looking forward to meeting with other DAAD alumnae and alumni’, he recalls. ‘It always results in interesting conservations.’

Christine Mährle, freelance management consultant to banks in Frankfurt am Main and a member of the organising team, also grasped the opportunity for professional development and networking. ‘I’ve already attended several DAAD alumni events and they’re always a fantastic experience’, she related. ‘What unites us as alumni is not only our professional background, but also our time spent abroad – which widens our horizons.’ Living in a different country, having to deal with a foreign language and cope on your own is considered to be an extremely significant experience. ‘I have among other things come to the important conclusion that different perspectives on various topics each have the right to be eligible.’