This year's edition of the world's biggest industrial technology fair will give visitors glimpses into the factories of the future. German Chancellor Angela Merkel used her opening speech to issue a stark warning.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Gentsch
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Sunday in a speech to mark the opening of the Hannover Messe that the EU needed to become more competitive in next-generation industrial technologies.
"I'm not entirely sure if we have the foundation necessary for us to compete globally," she said, adding that "Europeans need to act together and find a common position."
She said the bloc needs to update its rules to confront a global economy in which some countries give their own companies subsidies and other competitive advantages.
The European Commission, the European Union's executive arm, would make proposals later this year on how to bolster the bloc's industrial prowess, she added.
How intelligent is Artificial Intelligence?
Stephen Hawking can attract attention to pretty much any scientific debate. The discussion of the safety of Artificial Intelligence is by now a dusty one, indeed. So why the sudden resurgence?
Image: "Cheetah Robot image courtesy of Boston Dynamics
More dangerous than the atomic bomb?
Silicon Valley icon Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, is famous for his warnings with regard to Artificial Intelligence. Last summer he declared that AI was the greatest conceivable threat to our existence. Stephen Hawking isn't new to the discussion, either, calling it famously the "worst mistake ever made."
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
Hysteria exaggerated?
Aren't AI robots more helpful than harmful like in the recent Hollywood film Chappie? A reprogramming gives the robot feelings and thoughts, and he helps humanity against an aggressive robotic police force.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Blomkamp
High-speed drone flop
Recent occurrences have shown, however, that not every instance of AI is without fault. All it took was nine minutes for the Falcon HTV-2 to sink in the ocean on a test flight in the summer of 2011. The US military drone was unmanned.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/DARPA
Not really all that new
Despite the resurgence, AI in military systems is a foregone conclusion. For over two decades, machines and robotic components have been advancing military systems. One prime example - the Eurofighter.
Image: Getty Images/S. Pond
Sci-Fi meets reality
The intelligent machines are getting more and more advanced - in many cases operational. The four-legged robot BigDog can haul cargo on offroad terrain, ice and snow. The robotics developer Boston Dynamics was bought by Google.
This week's letter has made clear that the entire AI community is seeking ethical guidelines, and even political regulation, to ensure that standards are set for how machines can be programmed. This is the only way to prevent abuse of Artificial Intelligence - and to put a stop to it getting out of control.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/DARPA
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The chancellor herself demanded reforms to EU competition policy and the creation of an EU industrial policy to keep Europe competitive.
During her speech, Merkel also called for a quick agreement on a US-EU free trade deal and announced closer collaboration with Sweden, the 2019 fair's official partner country, in the development of artificial intelligence and battery technology.
This year's edition of the world's largest industrial technology fair features some 6,500 exhibitors from 75 countries and will focus on showcasing machine learning, human-to-machine communication and superfast 5G mobile networks.
More than 220,000 visitors are expected to descend on the fair before it ends on Friday.
