As a psychologist, Jonas Frenkel researches robot-human interactions and uses AI to develop therapy robots for autistic children. He explained how the AI algorithms could help to adapt the therapy for each individual child in such a way that confidence is conveyed through voice and behavior. “It is precisely the reduced social complexity that makes therapy robots a valuable tool in autism therapy, giving children a sense of security,” he explained. At the same time, the researcher is aware that his findings could also be misused to boost the sale of products with particularly pleasant voices, for example.
Two thirds have reservations about AI
“If you don't take responsibility as a founder, you are quickly out of the picture,” said Laura Möller in response to the question of who should take responsibility for AI errors. "Start-ups can have a major influence on consumers. They need to ensure early on that they build aspects such as ethics, transparency and robustness of their data into their corporate DNA." But does the market really regulate everything itself? Or do we need state regulation to ward off potential dangers and misuse of AI? Do we even need our own AI that regulates and monitors other AIs? As a user, what do I need to know about AI to be able to use it consciously and responsibly? What skills do I need to learn? A lively discussion arose around these questions, which quickly made it clear that much is still open, not yet regulated by law and not yet sufficiently researched scientifically.
At the end of the evening, moderator Mads Pankow shared a sobering figure from a survey: almost two thirds of all people in Germany believe that AI will make their lives worse rather than better. What did the experts on the podium think? “AI is like the internet,” explained Dafna Burema. There are good and bad sides to it too. “You can also do a lot of good things with it.” Jonas Frenkel emphasized: "AI can take on tasks that I don't really want to do. For example, searching for an error in a page of computer code or summarizing long texts." Laura Möller added with a smile: “Incidentally, there are now also the first AI robots that can fold laundry.”
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