Artificial intelligence (AI) is going to be in the spotlight at CEBIT in June of 2018. “AI is certainly one of the most exciting developments of our times, and one that is on the verge of revolutionizing our personal and professional lives. In fact, AI literally has the potential to change the world – reason enough for it to be featured in a big way at the upcoming CEBIT,” said Oliver Frese, the Deutsche Messe Managing Board member in charge of CEBIT. Opening day is still another nine months off, but many companies, among them IBM, have already signaled that their showcases are going to be placing major emphasis on AI.
IBM was among the very first companies to book space for CEBIT 2018. “With CEBIT in a summer slot and being staged as a digital innovation festival, it didn’t take us much deliberating at all to decide to join in on the action,” explained Martina Koederitz, CEO of IBM Germany and IBM’s General Manager Germany, Austria and Switzerland. “We will definitely be doing our part to bring the new CEBIT to life, for instance by taking our visitors – be they business associates, potential customers, start-ups or developers – on a digital journey to a fully interconnected world of cloud computing, cognitive and artificial intelligence.” IBM will be receiving its visitors at two pavilions located right alongside the d!campus.
The Fraunhofer Society, Europe’s biggest applied research organization, is also already gearing up for next year’s CEBIT, and its stand in Hall 27 will also be putting the spotlight on AI, cognitive systems and learning machines. “The digital transformation is leading us into a hyperconnected world full of innovative business models and products on the one hand, and new security and infrastructure challenges on the other.
These issues will be addressed at our stand,” said Fraunhofer Society President Dr. Reimund Neugebauer. “However, if we want German to play a leadership role in AI solutions for the long term, then we need more than just inspired technology; we also need more dialogue with the general public, and this is yet another reason we are really looking forward to the upcoming CEBIT. After all: Trade shows are so much more than just a bunch of stands and exhibits; they are places where people come in order to share ideas and visions,” he added.
Oliver Frese: “As a business event and a festival of digitization and innovation, the new-look CEBIT will serve as a wellspring of creativity. The response from our digital industry stakeholders has certainly been nothing short of fantastic.”
The new CEBIT consists of four parts: First there’s d!conomy, which features everything needed for the digitization of business and government. This is where digital players can impress an international audience of potential users with their novel solutions. For participating exhibitors intent on generating new business, d!conomy is the place to be. Among the topics on the agenda: the digital office, process and data management, security, communication, devices and infrastructure.
The second part of the new CEBIT is d!tec, which is focused on our digital future. By exploring emerging technologies poised for market launch, disruptive business models and new value-creation networks, it provides a
rare glimpse of the future. d!tec presents the latest research and profiles startups with the courage and creativity to challenge yesteryear’s givens and create new business models using inspired technology.
The third ingredient in the CEBIT recipe is d!talk: a rich array of conferences setting the stage for mission-critical economic, political and social discourse on the digitization trend. With a central stage for keynotes and more than 10 smaller stages embedded in the relevant sections of d!conomy, d!talk is CEBIT’s dialogue hub for digitization know-how and visions. The organizers are expecting a top-notch lineup of speakers: lateral thinkers, visionaries, experts and strategists from around the world, among them American computer philosophy writer and computer scientist Jaron Lanier.
The fourth part of the new CEBIT is the d!campus. Strategically located beneath the iconic EXPO Canopy on the open-air site, the d!campus is the beating heart of the show – the place where digital technology gets an emotive spin and veritably comes to life. This is where digitization meets emotional appeal, and where digital players and their clientele gather to enjoy engaging and immersive on-stage performances and digital showcases in a relaxed setting, connecting with industry peers right on into the evening hours.
