In the stock market, in the production, the logistics and many other economic areas are applications with artificial intelligence (AI) already in use - and constantly more are added. The consequences of this for work and society will be examined by an "AI Observatory" in the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS).
As the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" ("SZ") first wrote, it will start work this year and will be officially unveiled at the beginning of 2020 by Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD).
The establishment of the observatory was announced a year ago, as one of the measures of the "national AI strategy" of the Federal Government. According to SPIEGEL information, around eight jobs will initially be created for this, in the think tank "Digitale Arbeitsgesellschaft" in the BMAS.
The "KI-TÜV" is still far away
Bans on "ethically unacceptable applications", as the "SZ" writes, are not pronounced there at first. Before the observatory can work like a "KI-Tüv" as it is intended, it must first answer regulatory questions.
The Observatory will focus on AI applications in business and working life, not least in retail, banking, credit and finance. But under what conditions it would even be possible to analyze and evaluate such proprietary applications in isolation, the institution has yet to work out, according to the ministry.
The analysis of concrete applications may also only begin when the Observatory is replaced by a yet to be created "Federal Institute of AI as a central classification and certification authority", which is mentioned in the Ministry.
The German institution should not be the only one of its kind. The SZ writes that there should be "close coordination with the European Commission and the OECD". Talk about it already running, as the SPIEGEL learned. The aim is to build a Europe-wide network of AI assessment bodies.
