The capital region: Pioneer and international hub

Since the mid-2000s, more and more companies from the AI environment have settled in Berlin-Brandenburg.

  • Over 33% of German AI startups are represented in Berlin.
  • Over 200 AI companies generate a turnover of 500 million Euro (8% of the total turnover of software and data service providers). 

At numerous research institutions, colleges and universities, over 65 professors conduct research on the various fields of application of AI. They work with interdisciplinary partners, including in the development of: 

  • Speech and image recognition systems
  • Learning systems (machine learning)
  • Collaborative robots
  • Autonomous vehicles
  • Innovations in the healthcare industry

Berlin-Brandenburg is well positioned for a value-oriented path in the international competition for technological leadership in the field of AI. Application-oriented, comprehensible and trustworthy AI made in Europe  is valued in the business-to-business area and also increasingly by private users - the capital region provides decisive impetus here.

AI Ecosystem

Leading actors from research and application as well as important partners, resources, multipliers and decision-makers are represented in Berlin-Brandenburg. To network these actors and to support in innovation projects, the core tasks of our work are in Cluster ICT | Media | Creative industries.

By means of a variety of initiatives and funding programs, many startups from university and research projects are founded, which drives the development of forward-looking technologies. Labs, hubs and accelerator programs of established companies offer young founders their know-how, network and a platform for prototyping. In return, the startups provide them with input on new technologies and developments.

The potential for the Berlin-Brandenburg capital region is considerable - various projections expect AI companies to increase their sales to € 2-3 billion by 2025, although the AI-induced increases in sales in the application sectors are not taken into account. In order to develop the potential, we support actors in research and application-oriented development as well as in raising awareness and transferring knowledge in promising application sectors.

news, events and success stories

AI in use

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the machine representation of human capabilities with the aim of supporting humans in their tasks. As a result, decisions and findings can be made faster, more neutrally, more precisely and more well-founded. With the progressive development of the performance and application capabilities of algorithmically mapped artificial intelligence, not only creative but also shaping and regulating issues of social, economic, ethical, political and legal character come into focus.

A decisive factor for the quality and trustworthiness of the decisions and findings that are made on the basis of Artificial Intelligence is the availability of a large number of relevant and trustworthy data. In addition, the methods that are used in Artificial Intelligence should be comprehensible and explainable (transparent) in order to avoid decisions in a so-called Blackbox.

The growing importance of Berlin as a centre of Artificial Intelligence is not only noticeable in science. The economy of the region is also benefiting from technological advances. 80 percent of the companies operating in the business-to-business sector develop mainly expert and language assistance as well as chatbots.

In addition to trade, the entertainment sector and industry, the developments are primarily used in three fields of application:

At 36 percent, innovations and services that analyse and improve internal processes make up the largest share. For example, knowledge-based expert and language systems automate company processes, making them more efficient and transparent. With the help of AI systems, market data are analysed and evaluated with regard to the expectation of future developments. Other developments simplify personnel recruitment or, by means of data-protected analyses, help to implement marketing activities in a more targeted manner and to address customers better.

Pioneering European standards in data protection and the regulation of AI applications give “AI made in Europe” the decisive unique selling point in global competition in the B2B market.

AI systems from the capital region are not only used to support the internal processes of hospitals, they are also used for operation planning, diagnostics and data analysis of specific clinical cases and the development of new active ingredients. Apps on the topics of fitness and health are developed as well as chatbots that accompany patients on their path to recovery: From diagnosing the disease to visiting the doctor. Cutting-edge research in the field of explainable AI (XAI) makes these results comprehensible and trustworthy.

Another focus of the AI companies in the capital region is the development of driver assistance systems. In addition to the core areas of autonomous driving (e.g. object recognition and decision-making), work in Berlin is also on AI systems for road maps, Apps for pedestrians and Augmented Reality systems for air traffic.

Our contribution

  • Supporting the transfer of AI research into applications
  • Strengthening the perception of application options and opportunities, especially for the local economy
  • Increase the visibility of AI expertise in the region → ki-berlin.de
  • Support in the development and expansion of qualification offers
  • Networking relevant actors
Philipp Günther Senior Project Manager Innovation T +49 30 46302-207 Philipp.Guenther@berlin-partner.de
Yvonne Gruchmann Senior Manager Digital Transformation T +49 331 73061-264 Yvonne.Gruchmann@wfbb.de