It seems that Europe is getting back on track after the Trump shock. Council President António Costa announced on Sunday evening that the European Council would meet for a special summit on March 6 . His talks with the heads of state and government had shown a joint commitment to strengthening European defense and contributing to Ukraine’s security in the long term, Costa wrote on Bluesky.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas will present a comprehensive proposal for additional military aid for the country attacked by Russia to the Foreign Affairs Council today. The aim of the initiative is to cover Ukraine’s most urgent needs, according to the paper, which is available to Table.Briefings.
The package comes in time for the third anniversary of the Russian invasion and provides for three components. Firstly, the EU wants to finance a further 1.5 million artillery shells this year. Secondly, funds are earmarked for air defense systems, missiles and drones. A third part of the money will be used to pay for the equipment and training of two Ukrainian brigades.
Brussels does not want to be intimidated by the protest of Hungary’s foreign minister. One option would be for Budapest to abstain constructively and not participate in the financing. However, a coalition of the willing is also possible, whereby each member state would have to make a contribution in line with its economic performance.
The European External Action Service paper does not yet contain any figures, but according to diplomats, the amount could be between six and ten billion euros. In view of the developments in the USA, the EU must now think in larger dimensions and act quickly.
Unlike the USA, the Europeans are not abandoning Ukraine, according to the message: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa are arriving in Kyiv today on a solidarity visit. Spain’s head of government Pedro Sanchez is also expected in the Ukrainian capital to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion. Emmanuel Macron is on his way to Washington, where he will try to explain the European perspective to Donald Trump in the White House.
A strong start to the new week, with the Foreign Affairs Council also expected to clear the way for the suspension of punitive measures against Syria. Specifically, sanctions in the areas of energy, transport and financial services will be eased in order to facilitate rapid reconstruction.
In the afternoon, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is also expected to attend the first Association Council in three years. According to a diplomat, “no tribunal on Israel” is planned and a suspension of the Association Agreement is not on the agenda. However, there will also be no “business as usual” with regard to Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank. The Israeli will have to listen to harsh criticism, particularly from Spain’s and Ireland’s foreign ministers.
Germany is facing a difficult time forming a government. Although CDU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz is the clear winner of the election, he clearly missed his self-imposed target of more than 30 percent of the vote. As the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance (BSW) could still make it into the Bundestag, the CDU leader may now need the SPD and Greens as coalition partners in order to form a majority. The FDP fell well short of the five percent threshold, and party leader Christian Lindner subsequently announced his retirement from politics.
Merz now faces difficult negotiations: The CDU leader must discuss cooperation with two left-wing parties and try to push through the promised change of direction in economic and migration policy. AfD leader Alice Weidel has already predicted that the new government will be unstable and will not last four years. During this time, her party wants to overtake the CDU/CSU.
Merz announced that he wanted to form a government in the eight weeks until Easter. It will be more difficult with two partners than with one, but it must succeed in any case. “The world out there is not waiting for us,” he warned. Germany must once again assume a leading role in Europe.
The pressure on the potential coalition partners will be enormous, as the formation of a government will take place during the weeks in which the Europeans have to find an answer to US President Donald Trump’s Ukraine policy. Olaf Scholz will still travel to the special EU summit on March 6 as acting Federal Chancellor, and probably also to the regular European Council on March 20. However, the outgoing chancellor has promised to involve his likely successor in the talks.
In the evening, Merz emphatically emphasized the scale of the task. This US administration appears to be largely indifferent to the fate of Europe, said the 69-year-old, who is actually a staunch transatlanticist. This is why the independent European defense capability has “top priority.” He was in close contact with many EU heads of state and government, and the unity of the Europeans was now of the utmost importance.
The CDU leader described the recent statements by Vice President J.D. Vance and Trump confidant Elon Musk in favor of the AfD as “outrageous.” Cooperation with the party is “completely out of the question” for him, Merz emphasized. “We are not seeking our freedom and peace on Putin’s lap.”
In the evening, Trump congratulated the “conservative party” in Germany on its election victory.
Merz was conciliatory towards the Social Democrats and the Greens on election night. During the election campaign, he had polarized sharply, most recently speaking of “green and left-wing nutcases” during an appearance in Munich – and turning many people against him there. His choice of words was only directed against Antifa demonstrators, Merz reassured yesterday.
The Social Democrats, on the other hand, must first reorganize themselves after the historically poor election result. Scholz will not become a minister in a new government. Party leader Lars Klingbeil announced a “generational change.” In addition to Scholz, parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich will not stand in the way of this. According to information available to Table.Briefings, Mützenich and Klingbeil have agreed on this.
During the election campaign, CSU leader Markus Söder in particular had stirred up a mood against the Greens. However, Merz agrees with their candidate for chancellor, Robert Habeck, at least in his analysis of the security policy challenge. Europe must quickly find its own strength, otherwise “we will fail historically,” warned Habeck.
Habeck called for these issues to be brought to the forefront of the exploratory talks and for a quick agreement to be reached. Catching up will require “vast sums of money.” However, the reform of the debt brake would require a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag, which is unlikely to be achieved given the performance of the AfD, the Left and the BSW.
The other EU states will be keeping a close eye on Merz’s efforts to form a government. “The whole of Europe is waiting for stability from Germany,” said EPP leader Manfred Weber. “A hanging game for months, where people bury themselves in the details of coalitions and coalition agreements, harms European interests, harms German interests,” said the CSU politician.
BDI President Peter Leibinger appealed to the centrist parties, who are now called upon to act: “Forming a government quickly can send an important signal of change to the economy and society.” There is no time for tactical games and formulaic compromises, Germany needs a bold growth program.
The leader of the right-wing populist FPÖ in Austria, Herbert Kickl, congratulated the AfD on its good election result. “As of today, there is a huge hole in the firewall of the united parties, which is in reality a wall of fear of the will of the people and of democratic change,” explained Kickl. With Stefan Braun, Horand Knaup
In Italy, the judiciary and the right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni are clashing ever more violently. On Thursday (Feb. 27), judges and public prosecutors plan to protest against the planned judicial reform and go on strike.
Two days earlier, the European Court of Justice will deal with the question of the legality of accommodating migrants in the asylum centers run by Italy in Albania. On the other hand, on the same day, the opposition in the parliament in Rome intends to call a vote of confidence in the Minister of Justice Claudio Nordio over the release of Libyan General Osama Almasri Njeem.
The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague asked the Italian government in writing on Tuesday to provide an explanation within 30 days as to why it has not extradited the Libyan Almasri to the court following his arrest. Almasri has been charged with crimes against humanity.
The Libyan was arrested in Turin on Jan. 18 and flown back to his home country on a state plane on Jan. 21. Justice Minister Nordio (Fratelli d’Italia) explains this dubious procedure with inconsistencies in the arrest warrant. Initially, the warrant was only available in English and contained different dates for the alleged crimes. On this basis, it was not possible to detain the alleged torturer. He justified the rapid deportation on the grounds of Italy’s security.
Roman public prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi has also initiated proceedings: against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, her Chief of Staff Alfredo Mantovano, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. This process was not made public by Lo Voi, but by Meloni herself – with a video on her social networks in which she speaks of a “political maneuver” by the judiciary.
Lo Voi was also the one who spent three years litigating against the current Minister of Transport and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini. In 2019, Salvini – who was still Minister of the Interior at the time – banned the NGO ship “Open Arms” with around 150 migrants on board from entering the port of Lampedusa. Public prosecutor Lo Voi demanded six years in prison for deprivation of liberty and abuse of office. Salvini was acquitted at the end of December last year.
An ECJ ruling on the definition of safe countries of origin is expected on Feb. 25. Italian judges had referred the question of who may be brought to the Italian asylum centers in Albania to Luxembourg. They had ruled three times in Rome that those migrants who were brought to Albania on naval vessels had to be transferred to Italy immediately. The centers, in which asylum requests are supposed to be clarified in a fast-track procedure, have thus never actually been put into operation since their opening in October.
Legally, the question is how and by whom the category of “safe country of origin” can be defined. However, it is more than questionable whether the centers in Shengjin and Gjader can actually go into operation as a result of a fundamental ruling by the ECJ. According to Italian media reports, the government is therefore already working on a new plan. It will soon be possible to accommodate migrants in Albania whose asylum applications have been rejected in Italy, i.e. people who have already set foot on EU soil. However, this would not be covered by the agreement between Italy and Albania, which had to be approved by the parliaments of both countries.
However, the judges and public prosecutors do not want to go on strike because of the quarrels of recent months. They are resisting the government’s plans to continue implementing the major judicial reform project. The justice system in Italy has long been considered to be in need of reform. Criminal proceedings here take an average of five years to reach a final verdict, while civil proceedings take around seven years. As a condition for the disbursement of money from the Next Generation Fund, the EU Commission is demanding, among other things, a reduction in the length of proceedings by at least 40 percent.
It has already been decided to abolish the criminal offense of abuse of office. A step that is also supported by the left. In the municipalities, hardly anyone wanted to take on a political office anymore because every unpleasant decision was threatened with legal action.
The sticking point over which the judiciary and politicians are currently arguing the most is the separation of the careers of judges and public prosecutors. The Supreme Judicial Council decides on these – as well as on disciplinary cases within its own ranks. This self-governing body is elected by judges and public prosecutors – a very high degree of independence compared to other democratic countries.
Meloni’s center-right coalition emphasizes that it wants to create a “fair and just justice system” with the reform. Opponents of the reform fear that the government wants to control the judiciary. It is more than expected that on the day of the strike, catchphrases such as “traitors to the country” or “communists” will once again be trumpeted from the political camp. The bickering has already had one effect: According to a recent survey, less than a third of Italians still trust their judiciary.
Thousands of nationalists in Bulgaria have attacked the EU representation in Sofia in protest against the planned introduction of the euro. The demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails and poured red paint on the glass façade of the building in the center of the capital. The police pushed them back and subsequently reported six arrested demonstrators and ten injured police officers.
The government in Sofia condemned the riots. The coalition cabinet in office since January is seeking to join the eurozone on Jan. 1, 2026. Bulgaria has been a member of the EU since 2007.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her outrage at the incidents. She wrote of “outrageous scenes in Sofia” on X. “In Europe, we exercise the right to demonstrate peacefully. Violence and vandalism are never the answer.” The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, called the riots “a disgrace.” dpa/tho
Prosperity is based on four fundamental pillars: affordable energy, efficient infrastructure for mobility, education, and technological progress. Germany has shown over decades that it has been able to make good use of these factors.
But the next decisive step is imminent: AI will be the key driver of productivity, competitiveness and therefore our prosperity. At the same time, Germany is facing a number of challenges: Germany’s digitalization expertise is inadequate, structural change and the transformation of business models are sluggish and excessive bureaucracy is a burden on the economy and the country.
At the same time, Germany has globally recognized engineering skills and deep-rooted methodological expertise that enable the development of high-precision and high-performance technologies. The knowledge that lies within German companies is based on decades of experience in the optimization of production processes, automation technologies and innovative procedures. This expertise represents a decisive competitive advantage and can now be transferred specifically to the development of specialized AI models.
There is now an opportunity to use our expertise to develop reliable, sector-specific Industry Competence Modules (ICMs) and AI models that deliver real added value.
Artificial intelligence is developing exponentially. According to a study by Stanford University, there are already more than 149 large language models (LLMs) worldwide. However, the enormous development costs will soon lead to market consolidation.
Germany has a particular strength here: other countries are investing billions of dollars in generic “general dilettante AI” such as the big LLMs. You can ask them anything, but you don’t know whether the answers are always correct. We, on the other hand, are known as a country of meticulous “bean counters.” We can now use this characteristic to our advantage.
We don’t need more large language models. We need an AI with expert knowledge – a “Subject Matter Expert AI.” It must deliver reliable results. Because the problem is that LLMs tend to hallucinate. They fabulate when they lack precise knowledge. An AI that is only 50 or 60 percent correct in preparing offers or applications to authorities is therefore hardly usable.
It is therefore not about developing larger LLMs, but about building more precise AI solutions. This is precisely where Industry Competence Models (ICMs), which neuland.ai also offers, come in.
They combine artificial intelligence with expert knowledge and replace generic internet data with in-depth specialist knowledge from within the company. This includes production data, product knowledge, confidential company formulas and business methods. But it also includes industry-specific knowledge such as standards, processes, regulatory requirements and much more. This enables AI systems to operate reliably, securely and in compliance with the law. This is the only way companies can use them successfully.
Protected data rooms also ensure that valuable company know-how and company recipes do not end up in the hands of large AI providers. They remain much more in a secure corporate AI ontology. After all, those who share their expertise in an uncontrolled manner will lose their competitive advantage in the long term.
Germany can achieve enormous productivity benefits of up to 95% with these secure, industry-specific and proprietary AI technologies. Michael Hüther, Director of the German Economic Institute (IW), aptly states: “AI is the greatest opportunity for a new German economic miracle.” He puts the value-creation potential of AI in Germany at EUR 330 billion per year.
If Germany does not act now, we will leave the playing field entirely to the USA and China. However, the time has long since come for a European alternative – an AI that focuses on security, precision and industrial strength. Companies that want to protect their own data and benefit from AI at the same time must act now.
The German economy and administration should start to understand that they can not only increase their productivity with trustworthy, secure and legally compliant AI technology but also secure their innovative strength and future viability.
Karl-Heinz Land is CEO and founder of neuland.ai AG, investor and speaker. He is also the author of various books, including “Stillstand als Beschleuniger,” “ERDE 5.0 – die Zukunft provozieren” and “Digitaler Darwinismus.”
It seems that Europe is getting back on track after the Trump shock. Council President António Costa announced on Sunday evening that the European Council would meet for a special summit on March 6 . His talks with the heads of state and government had shown a joint commitment to strengthening European defense and contributing to Ukraine’s security in the long term, Costa wrote on Bluesky.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas will present a comprehensive proposal for additional military aid for the country attacked by Russia to the Foreign Affairs Council today. The aim of the initiative is to cover Ukraine’s most urgent needs, according to the paper, which is available to Table.Briefings.
The package comes in time for the third anniversary of the Russian invasion and provides for three components. Firstly, the EU wants to finance a further 1.5 million artillery shells this year. Secondly, funds are earmarked for air defense systems, missiles and drones. A third part of the money will be used to pay for the equipment and training of two Ukrainian brigades.
Brussels does not want to be intimidated by the protest of Hungary’s foreign minister. One option would be for Budapest to abstain constructively and not participate in the financing. However, a coalition of the willing is also possible, whereby each member state would have to make a contribution in line with its economic performance.
The European External Action Service paper does not yet contain any figures, but according to diplomats, the amount could be between six and ten billion euros. In view of the developments in the USA, the EU must now think in larger dimensions and act quickly.
Unlike the USA, the Europeans are not abandoning Ukraine, according to the message: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa are arriving in Kyiv today on a solidarity visit. Spain’s head of government Pedro Sanchez is also expected in the Ukrainian capital to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion. Emmanuel Macron is on his way to Washington, where he will try to explain the European perspective to Donald Trump in the White House.
A strong start to the new week, with the Foreign Affairs Council also expected to clear the way for the suspension of punitive measures against Syria. Specifically, sanctions in the areas of energy, transport and financial services will be eased in order to facilitate rapid reconstruction.
In the afternoon, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is also expected to attend the first Association Council in three years. According to a diplomat, “no tribunal on Israel” is planned and a suspension of the Association Agreement is not on the agenda. However, there will also be no “business as usual” with regard to Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank. The Israeli will have to listen to harsh criticism, particularly from Spain’s and Ireland’s foreign ministers.
Germany is facing a difficult time forming a government. Although CDU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz is the clear winner of the election, he clearly missed his self-imposed target of more than 30 percent of the vote. As the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance (BSW) could still make it into the Bundestag, the CDU leader may now need the SPD and Greens as coalition partners in order to form a majority. The FDP fell well short of the five percent threshold, and party leader Christian Lindner subsequently announced his retirement from politics.
Merz now faces difficult negotiations: The CDU leader must discuss cooperation with two left-wing parties and try to push through the promised change of direction in economic and migration policy. AfD leader Alice Weidel has already predicted that the new government will be unstable and will not last four years. During this time, her party wants to overtake the CDU/CSU.
Merz announced that he wanted to form a government in the eight weeks until Easter. It will be more difficult with two partners than with one, but it must succeed in any case. “The world out there is not waiting for us,” he warned. Germany must once again assume a leading role in Europe.
The pressure on the potential coalition partners will be enormous, as the formation of a government will take place during the weeks in which the Europeans have to find an answer to US President Donald Trump’s Ukraine policy. Olaf Scholz will still travel to the special EU summit on March 6 as acting Federal Chancellor, and probably also to the regular European Council on March 20. However, the outgoing chancellor has promised to involve his likely successor in the talks.
In the evening, Merz emphatically emphasized the scale of the task. This US administration appears to be largely indifferent to the fate of Europe, said the 69-year-old, who is actually a staunch transatlanticist. This is why the independent European defense capability has “top priority.” He was in close contact with many EU heads of state and government, and the unity of the Europeans was now of the utmost importance.
The CDU leader described the recent statements by Vice President J.D. Vance and Trump confidant Elon Musk in favor of the AfD as “outrageous.” Cooperation with the party is “completely out of the question” for him, Merz emphasized. “We are not seeking our freedom and peace on Putin’s lap.”
In the evening, Trump congratulated the “conservative party” in Germany on its election victory.
Merz was conciliatory towards the Social Democrats and the Greens on election night. During the election campaign, he had polarized sharply, most recently speaking of “green and left-wing nutcases” during an appearance in Munich – and turning many people against him there. His choice of words was only directed against Antifa demonstrators, Merz reassured yesterday.
The Social Democrats, on the other hand, must first reorganize themselves after the historically poor election result. Scholz will not become a minister in a new government. Party leader Lars Klingbeil announced a “generational change.” In addition to Scholz, parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich will not stand in the way of this. According to information available to Table.Briefings, Mützenich and Klingbeil have agreed on this.
During the election campaign, CSU leader Markus Söder in particular had stirred up a mood against the Greens. However, Merz agrees with their candidate for chancellor, Robert Habeck, at least in his analysis of the security policy challenge. Europe must quickly find its own strength, otherwise “we will fail historically,” warned Habeck.
Habeck called for these issues to be brought to the forefront of the exploratory talks and for a quick agreement to be reached. Catching up will require “vast sums of money.” However, the reform of the debt brake would require a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag, which is unlikely to be achieved given the performance of the AfD, the Left and the BSW.
The other EU states will be keeping a close eye on Merz’s efforts to form a government. “The whole of Europe is waiting for stability from Germany,” said EPP leader Manfred Weber. “A hanging game for months, where people bury themselves in the details of coalitions and coalition agreements, harms European interests, harms German interests,” said the CSU politician.
BDI President Peter Leibinger appealed to the centrist parties, who are now called upon to act: “Forming a government quickly can send an important signal of change to the economy and society.” There is no time for tactical games and formulaic compromises, Germany needs a bold growth program.
The leader of the right-wing populist FPÖ in Austria, Herbert Kickl, congratulated the AfD on its good election result. “As of today, there is a huge hole in the firewall of the united parties, which is in reality a wall of fear of the will of the people and of democratic change,” explained Kickl. With Stefan Braun, Horand Knaup
In Italy, the judiciary and the right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni are clashing ever more violently. On Thursday (Feb. 27), judges and public prosecutors plan to protest against the planned judicial reform and go on strike.
Two days earlier, the European Court of Justice will deal with the question of the legality of accommodating migrants in the asylum centers run by Italy in Albania. On the other hand, on the same day, the opposition in the parliament in Rome intends to call a vote of confidence in the Minister of Justice Claudio Nordio over the release of Libyan General Osama Almasri Njeem.
The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague asked the Italian government in writing on Tuesday to provide an explanation within 30 days as to why it has not extradited the Libyan Almasri to the court following his arrest. Almasri has been charged with crimes against humanity.
The Libyan was arrested in Turin on Jan. 18 and flown back to his home country on a state plane on Jan. 21. Justice Minister Nordio (Fratelli d’Italia) explains this dubious procedure with inconsistencies in the arrest warrant. Initially, the warrant was only available in English and contained different dates for the alleged crimes. On this basis, it was not possible to detain the alleged torturer. He justified the rapid deportation on the grounds of Italy’s security.
Roman public prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi has also initiated proceedings: against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, her Chief of Staff Alfredo Mantovano, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. This process was not made public by Lo Voi, but by Meloni herself – with a video on her social networks in which she speaks of a “political maneuver” by the judiciary.
Lo Voi was also the one who spent three years litigating against the current Minister of Transport and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini. In 2019, Salvini – who was still Minister of the Interior at the time – banned the NGO ship “Open Arms” with around 150 migrants on board from entering the port of Lampedusa. Public prosecutor Lo Voi demanded six years in prison for deprivation of liberty and abuse of office. Salvini was acquitted at the end of December last year.
An ECJ ruling on the definition of safe countries of origin is expected on Feb. 25. Italian judges had referred the question of who may be brought to the Italian asylum centers in Albania to Luxembourg. They had ruled three times in Rome that those migrants who were brought to Albania on naval vessels had to be transferred to Italy immediately. The centers, in which asylum requests are supposed to be clarified in a fast-track procedure, have thus never actually been put into operation since their opening in October.
Legally, the question is how and by whom the category of “safe country of origin” can be defined. However, it is more than questionable whether the centers in Shengjin and Gjader can actually go into operation as a result of a fundamental ruling by the ECJ. According to Italian media reports, the government is therefore already working on a new plan. It will soon be possible to accommodate migrants in Albania whose asylum applications have been rejected in Italy, i.e. people who have already set foot on EU soil. However, this would not be covered by the agreement between Italy and Albania, which had to be approved by the parliaments of both countries.
However, the judges and public prosecutors do not want to go on strike because of the quarrels of recent months. They are resisting the government’s plans to continue implementing the major judicial reform project. The justice system in Italy has long been considered to be in need of reform. Criminal proceedings here take an average of five years to reach a final verdict, while civil proceedings take around seven years. As a condition for the disbursement of money from the Next Generation Fund, the EU Commission is demanding, among other things, a reduction in the length of proceedings by at least 40 percent.
It has already been decided to abolish the criminal offense of abuse of office. A step that is also supported by the left. In the municipalities, hardly anyone wanted to take on a political office anymore because every unpleasant decision was threatened with legal action.
The sticking point over which the judiciary and politicians are currently arguing the most is the separation of the careers of judges and public prosecutors. The Supreme Judicial Council decides on these – as well as on disciplinary cases within its own ranks. This self-governing body is elected by judges and public prosecutors – a very high degree of independence compared to other democratic countries.
Meloni’s center-right coalition emphasizes that it wants to create a “fair and just justice system” with the reform. Opponents of the reform fear that the government wants to control the judiciary. It is more than expected that on the day of the strike, catchphrases such as “traitors to the country” or “communists” will once again be trumpeted from the political camp. The bickering has already had one effect: According to a recent survey, less than a third of Italians still trust their judiciary.
Thousands of nationalists in Bulgaria have attacked the EU representation in Sofia in protest against the planned introduction of the euro. The demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails and poured red paint on the glass façade of the building in the center of the capital. The police pushed them back and subsequently reported six arrested demonstrators and ten injured police officers.
The government in Sofia condemned the riots. The coalition cabinet in office since January is seeking to join the eurozone on Jan. 1, 2026. Bulgaria has been a member of the EU since 2007.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her outrage at the incidents. She wrote of “outrageous scenes in Sofia” on X. “In Europe, we exercise the right to demonstrate peacefully. Violence and vandalism are never the answer.” The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, called the riots “a disgrace.” dpa/tho
Prosperity is based on four fundamental pillars: affordable energy, efficient infrastructure for mobility, education, and technological progress. Germany has shown over decades that it has been able to make good use of these factors.
But the next decisive step is imminent: AI will be the key driver of productivity, competitiveness and therefore our prosperity. At the same time, Germany is facing a number of challenges: Germany’s digitalization expertise is inadequate, structural change and the transformation of business models are sluggish and excessive bureaucracy is a burden on the economy and the country.
At the same time, Germany has globally recognized engineering skills and deep-rooted methodological expertise that enable the development of high-precision and high-performance technologies. The knowledge that lies within German companies is based on decades of experience in the optimization of production processes, automation technologies and innovative procedures. This expertise represents a decisive competitive advantage and can now be transferred specifically to the development of specialized AI models.
There is now an opportunity to use our expertise to develop reliable, sector-specific Industry Competence Modules (ICMs) and AI models that deliver real added value.
Artificial intelligence is developing exponentially. According to a study by Stanford University, there are already more than 149 large language models (LLMs) worldwide. However, the enormous development costs will soon lead to market consolidation.
Germany has a particular strength here: other countries are investing billions of dollars in generic “general dilettante AI” such as the big LLMs. You can ask them anything, but you don’t know whether the answers are always correct. We, on the other hand, are known as a country of meticulous “bean counters.” We can now use this characteristic to our advantage.
We don’t need more large language models. We need an AI with expert knowledge – a “Subject Matter Expert AI.” It must deliver reliable results. Because the problem is that LLMs tend to hallucinate. They fabulate when they lack precise knowledge. An AI that is only 50 or 60 percent correct in preparing offers or applications to authorities is therefore hardly usable.
It is therefore not about developing larger LLMs, but about building more precise AI solutions. This is precisely where Industry Competence Models (ICMs), which neuland.ai also offers, come in.
They combine artificial intelligence with expert knowledge and replace generic internet data with in-depth specialist knowledge from within the company. This includes production data, product knowledge, confidential company formulas and business methods. But it also includes industry-specific knowledge such as standards, processes, regulatory requirements and much more. This enables AI systems to operate reliably, securely and in compliance with the law. This is the only way companies can use them successfully.
Protected data rooms also ensure that valuable company know-how and company recipes do not end up in the hands of large AI providers. They remain much more in a secure corporate AI ontology. After all, those who share their expertise in an uncontrolled manner will lose their competitive advantage in the long term.
Germany can achieve enormous productivity benefits of up to 95% with these secure, industry-specific and proprietary AI technologies. Michael Hüther, Director of the German Economic Institute (IW), aptly states: “AI is the greatest opportunity for a new German economic miracle.” He puts the value-creation potential of AI in Germany at EUR 330 billion per year.
If Germany does not act now, we will leave the playing field entirely to the USA and China. However, the time has long since come for a European alternative – an AI that focuses on security, precision and industrial strength. Companies that want to protect their own data and benefit from AI at the same time must act now.
The German economy and administration should start to understand that they can not only increase their productivity with trustworthy, secure and legally compliant AI technology but also secure their innovative strength and future viability.
Karl-Heinz Land is CEO and founder of neuland.ai AG, investor and speaker. He is also the author of various books, including “Stillstand als Beschleuniger,” “ERDE 5.0 – die Zukunft provozieren” and “Digitaler Darwinismus.”
