AI IN SKILLED TRADES
Artificial intelligence is changing the world of work. In the skilled trades, too, more and more companies are utilising AI applications. But what does this actually look like in a professional sector that, unlike industrial mass production, is characterised by manual work? Experts provide insights, give examples of use and talk about the opportunities and challenges that AI brings for the skilled trades.
The KI.NRW competence platform is a central point of contact for artificial intelligence in North Rhine-Westphalia. ‘Whether you are a large company or a small craft business, we are the first point of contact for all questions relating to the use of AI in companies,’ explains Dr Christian Temath, Managing Director of KI.NRW. The services on offer range from consultation clinics and interactive workshops to on-site consulting. ‘Around three years ago we started with AI shadowing. Our AI experts visit companies to identify the potential applications of artificial intelligence. We then prioritise these and work with the company to prepare the implementation of the most relevant use case.’
Dr Christian Temath, Managing Director of the KI.NRW competence platform, and his team want to ensure that NRW plays a leading role in the AI competition.
The majority of trade businesses that already use AI apply it to optimise administrative and organisational processes, for example in order processing or logistics. At the same time, the number of cases in which AI support goes beyond this is increasing - like at the Diwo sculpture workshop. The Paderborn-based company specialises in the inspection of monuments and sculptures. It is important, for example, to discover hairline cracks, which can lead to the instability of objects. Experienced sculptors can recognise whether the stone is intact by striking it with a hammer. However, this means that the assessment is subjective and that the process requires years of training eyes and ears. As part of a KIDiHa project, the "Artificial Intelligence and Digital Offensive for the HANDwerk in NRW", the Fraunhofer Institute IOSB-INA from Lemgo has developed an AI solution together with the sculpting industry that helps to identify hairline cracks. As part of the "StoneCrackMon" project, an AI model is trained on the sound of exemplary hammer blows and can automatically differentiate between intact and damaged stones. The sensor system is worn on the arm and provides precise data that can be visualised on a smartphone. "StoneCrackMon" is currently still a research project, but could soon be used in other sculpture workshops or in the construction industry.
The Bielefeld roofing and carpentry company ZEP-Team also uses AI. In order to measure buildings, a drone is used to fly around the objects and create a video. AI-supported software analyses the recordings and converts the data into a 3D CAD model. No one has to go up on the roof to measure it, the process thus increases work safety and saves time. In future, it may also be possible to compare several recordings at regular intervals in order to recognise early on if the condition of the roof changes. For Dr Christian Temath from KI.NRW, the use of AI in the skilled trades offers yet another advantage: ‘AI can help to counteract the shortage of skilled workers - and without those who enjoy manual labour having to fear that they will soon be replaced. Instead, artificial intelligence is taking over routine tasks that run in the background, for example in company administration. Additionally, digital tools can make apprenticeships more attractive. For example, being able to take measurements on the construction site using a smartphone or the ability to upload work results directly to an internal digital platform using a photo.’
„How does the use of AI increase corporate value creation?“
Valentina Kerst is Senior Partner of the German AI Association, which represents the interests of approximately 475 members, mostly AI start-ups, and brings them together with companies.
One person who wants to ensure that even more companies benefit from AI in the future is Valentina Kerst. She is a Senior Partner of the German AI Association, which is dedicated to the promotion and development of AI in Germany. ‘We represent the interests of around 475 members, mostly start-ups, who develop AI and facilitate the introduction of applications to the market, vis-à-vis politicians, the public and other relevant stakeholders. And we create a network for the AI sector to promote the exchange of knowledge, experience and innovation.’ Kerst spends most of her time at the AI Village, the innovation campus for intelligence and robotics in Hürth, where companies can experience AI in real life, learn how to use it effectively and network with partners who are able to support their own AI project from the initial idea through to implementation.
Increasingly, the skilled trades are also coming to Hürth: ‘From an in-house Google system, which employees can use to access all relevant documents, to the bakery sales assistant's wristband, which automatically recognises which bread has just been taken off the shelf, many things are possible,’ explains Kerst. For most, however, it is crucial to first find out how they can use artificial intelligence in their company in a meaningful way: ‘Thanks to ChatGPT, AI has become part of social consciousness virtually overnight. Hence, it's only logical that many companies are now saying that they would like to use AI, too. However, the topic isn`t that readily comprehensible. In the AI Village, we provide answers, especially to the central question: How does the use of AI increase corporate value creation?’
If ideas emerge from the dialogue between companies and providers on how artificial intelligence can help overcome certain challenges in everyday working life, the next steps can then be taken. Together with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the AI Village is supporting the digital transformation in the Rhineland region with the "Digital Future AI" funding programme worth ten million euros. But even without funding, companies should not shy away from starting with small projects: ‘Come to the AI Village, find out what is possible and sensible with AI, start small, see what comes of it and then take the next steps,’ is Valentina Kerst's appeal. •
Text: Dominik Deden
Pictures: Pexels/ Tara Winstead, KI.NRW, privat