May 23, 2025
Two inspiring days on the topic of artificial intelligence lie behind us – full of exciting presentations, honest discussions and practical impulses. At the OptoNet e.V. workshop, one thing became very clear: AI is no longer a dream of the future. It is already here, and it is here to stay.
The varied program of presentations ranged from technological basics and legal frameworks to specific practical examples from industry.
Our highlights from the two days:
“Shit in, shit out” – data quality is the key
Antje Blumentritt (KOMOS) and Mario Melle (constancy) left a lasting impression with their honest look at AI projects from SMEs. Their credo: “Shit in, shit out” – without high-quality, structured data, even the best AI will not produce useful results.
They emphasized how important it is to clarify at an early stage where the journey should go, what IT infrastructure is required and that isolated solutions will fail in the long term. Furthermore, there is no point in always waiting for the cooler, newer tool, because every second you wait is a wasted second in the end.
The topic of employee acceptance was also part of her presentation. New technologies could be introduced subliminally in a timely manner. An example of AI here would be employee training with an AI avatar as a lecturer. Further application scenarios would then be gradually implemented.
It is important not to lose sight of values and to take fears seriously. Automation does not mean fewer people, but more focus on meaningful activities, such as customer contact in sales. And this needs to be made clear to everyone.
Between tool and transformation: people remain central
Frank Nussbaum from JENOPTIK took a similar position, emphasizing in his presentation how crucial transparency, training and acceptance are when dealing with new technologies. A tool that does not make things easier, but merely repackages existing tasks, will fail.
It is also crucial to involve experts with domain knowledge in such projects from the outset and not just IT experts. It is also important to clearly define responsibilities and create participative formats for employees. Mario Melle, who presented the concept of the “Sackgang meeting”, a format in which employees are allowed to openly say “what’s bothering them”, provided a particularly likeable impulse. This openness creates space for real improvement and co-design.
#noCold
Alexander Freytag from the ZEISS Group also got straight to the point: “AI is not a cold. AI is here to stay.” It’s not a question of whether, but how we integrate it into our everyday lives – whether to improve product development or to develop better products. The difference lies in the detail – and in the approach.
Apropos: People at the center of production
In her presentation, our Managing Director Heike Vocke impressively demonstrated how people will continue to be at the heart of future production – supporting but not replacing them. The focus was on the topic of worker guidance systems, specifically using the example of weasl, a digital assistance system that supports employees in their daily tasks.
weasl guides workers step by step through complex assembly processes, ensures that all relevant information is available in the right place at the right time and minimizes sources of error. While the workers are working, valuable production data is automatically recorded at the same time, without additional documentation effort or media disruptions.
This data in turn provides the basis for AI applications, such as basic fault analyses. People are therefore not only users of new technologies, but also an active part of the digital transformation.
What we take away
In the concluding discussion round, it was put in a nutshell once again: “This is the time for heartfelt work.”
The role of people will change in the age of AI, but this will not make them any less important. Because at the end of the day, only people can build, live and maintain relationships with each other. And it was precisely these relationships, the open exchange and learning from each other, that characterized these two workshop days.
A big thank you to OptoNet for the invitation, the excellent organization and the very tasty catering! We took away a lot of inspiration, new contacts and, above all, one thing: Even with AI, people are still the focus in the end.
Author: Maren Fichtner