AI pioneer and acatech member Wolfgang Wahlster inducted into the “Hall of Fame of German Research”
Hamburg/Munich, 17 October 2023
On 12 October 2023, Wolfgang Wahlster, the renowned computer scientist and years-long CEO of DFKI (German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence), has been inducted into the “Hall of Fame of German Research” at The New Institute in Hamburg for the achievements of his lifetime. Wolfgang Wahlster is one of the creators of the concept Industrie 4.0. He actively participates in the debate centred round this topic, as well as innovation surrounding AI, learning systems and cyber-physical systems.
The laudation for Wolfgang Wahlster was held by Margret Wintermantel, former President of the Saarland University, the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Her speech highlighted Wolfgang Wahlster’s contribution to bringing together computer science and the humanities, particularly psychology and linguistics, and to his pioneering work on human-computer interaction. His research has opened up new perspectives and expanded the understanding of the benefits of artificial intelligence.
Wolfgang Wahlster himself is extremely grateful for the distinguishment and emphasised that the honour underscores the importance of deeply understanding spoken dialogue systems. He highlighted the fact that AI is increasingly playing a role in decision-making processes; these decisions have to be questioned and explained by computers reliably and comprehensibly as part of a dialogue.
Antonio Krüger, the current CEO of DFKI, congratulated Wolfgang Wahlster and acknowledged his decades-long, successful direction of DFKI, as well as his contribution to anchoring artificial intelligence in German and European politics. The distinguishment for Wolfgang Wahlster not only honours the significance of his research work – it also underscores the future significance of human–technology interaction and artificial intelligence.
Creators of the concept Industrie 4.0
Together with Henning Kagermann and Wolf-Dieter Lukas, Wolfgang Wahlster is one of the founding fathers of the concept Industrie 4.0 and years-long member of the Research Council Industrie 4.0. Furthermore, he is an active member of the Steering Committee of the Plattform Lernende Systeme. Wolfgang Wahlster is an acatech member and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, which rewards the Nobel Prizes; of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina; of the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz; of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and of the Czech Academy of Sciences (EACR). The induction into the “Hall of Fame of German Research” is one of many honours distinguishing Wolfgang Wahlster. Back in 2004, he was inducted into the “Wall of Fame – Pioneers to the Digital World” by the Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum in Paderborn, where he was the only German to be honoured in the area of “Artificial Intelligence”.
