Digital AI Day 2.0
Artificial intelligence was again the topic of the day for administration at the University of Bonn's second Digital AI day, titled “AI 2.0,” which was virtually attended by some 200 interested employees. The high level of steady interest in the topic indicates that AI is no mere hype, being instead seen for some time now as a strategic issue that is here to stay. In the nearly two-hour event Dr. Holger Impekoven presented the fruits of a year of intensive development efforts, sharing the encouraging results obtained thus far. “The first AI Day, held about one year ago, marked the start of structured discussions on artificial intelligence in university administration. Even back then it was not about getting into some kind of technical wizardry, but rather practical concerns around how we can utilize AI as a kind of non-human resource and leverage co-intelligence to counteract advancing workload and the skilled labor shortage while heightening productivity and promoting innovation, possibly enabling entirely new services to be offered,” Dr. Impekoven commented. Inspired by scientist Ethan Mollick, Impekoven sees artificial intelligence as a kind of office mate, an associate whose skills and knowledge can make us more clever, if used wisely. The one thing that is clear, he underscored, is that technology is advancing so swiftly that today’s innovations may already be outdated tomorrow. This is why he calls for the establishment of a supportive framework, rules and training offerings like those which administration has been working intensively on throughout the past twelve months.
KILIAN, an AI-supported, data protection-compliant assistance system, served as proof of concept in demonstrating possibilities, but also revealed the present limitations despite AI’s rapid rise. In parallel, clearly formulated regulations were defined governing the use of publicly available AI tools, compliance with data protection standards, use of alias addresses for anonymity and a whitelist of approved applications, among other matters. Human Resource Development responded quickly by rolling out a “Fit for AI” program delivering effective skills training, which is much in demand. Other offerings tailored to the needs of managers around AI are also in the works. Dr. Impekoven observed that several other universities are now emulating the successful approach taken in Bonn, appropriating what they see as ‘best practices’. At last year’s AI Day he invited attendees to join the Communities of Practice on Artificial Intelligence (CoP AI for short), which have proven to be an ideal instrument supporting change processes by pooling expertise on day-to-day operations and distributing responsibility across many shoulders.
Case studies
Two speakers talked about how AI is being utilized to derive concrete benefit. First was Katharina Kolanus Teixeira from Legal, who talked about how ChatGPT is being leveraged to summarize court rulings for the internal newsletter in a way that renders complex legal developments understandable to a broad audience. Then Beate Panitz of Human Resource Development reported on use of the ElevenLabs tool to add sound to presentations and training and information videos. The time-consuming process of recording a speaker has now been eliminated and replaced by high-quality robotic voiceover—a real efficiency gain that cuts workload. These two live-use examples are indicative of how AI is already substantially integrated into day-to-day operations and delivering measurable benefit.
Strategic infrastructure and planning
Dr. Impekoven then presented administration’s AI strategy, which is oriented around the recommendations outlined by the AI Think Tank formed by the Rectorate, comprised of researchers from various University departments. Under the organizational umbrella of the Digital Science Center (DiCe), the think tank’s mission is to provide the Rectorate recommendations on an ongoing basis for ensuring the secure, sustainable, and responsible use of AI as an element of the University's digital strategy.
Impekoven emphasized that the objectives are to deploy AI in legally compliant and transparent fashion, thereby enabling participatory and responsible use so as to ameliorate the skilled labor shortage and modernize administration. It should not be forgotten, he pointed out, that for all its positive aspects this new technology brings challenges including informational distortions and data protection issues. AI is bringing about changes in society, which makes actively shaping the change processes such a critical responsibility. Michael Prill, head of the PDaP (Administrative Process Digitalization Program),
pointed out a whitelist of tested and recommended AI applications and talked about new training offerings and test licenses for employees, among other things. Martin Ragg, Deputy Director of University IT, then gave a presentation on the planned technical infrastructure for rolling out generative AI models for use in teaching and administration in the months ahead. The objective is to roll out AI in planned, coordinated fashion in a manner that yields significant immediate gains.
Underscoring the strategic relevance of AI, Provost Holger Gottschalk commented, “I can only agree with Dr. Impekoven that AI is here to stay. I am greatly impressed and enthused at the motivation demonstrated by so many of our colleagues on this issue. The Community of Practice has proven to be a successful model offering benefit to all parties.” It is thus highly important, Gottschalk continued, to reach out to any staff members who are not yet on board and get them to adopt AI as a tool for regular use in their day-to-day work.
What might the next steps be? Administration intends to roll out chatbots and other AI support tools in the near future, address user reluctance, and offer more targeted training for managers and staff. Summing up, Dr. Impekoven remarked: “We need to actively engage with these developments or else risk getting swept away. The intelligent usage of AI, if I may put it that way, can afford us the advantages of a powerful tool.“
If you missed out on AI Day or wish to get involved in the CoP AI, information is available internally on Confluence.