In the interview with Dr. Alexandra Merkel, CTO of Innomatik AG.

We have been looking forward to the interview with Dr. Alexandra Merkel for a long time. Today is finally the day. In the interview, we want to dive into the fascinating world of artificial intelligence (AI) as it is shaped by one of the leading experts in this field. Dr. Alexandra Merkel, one of the leading figures with an impressive career, is available to us for an exclusive interview in DIGITAL FUTUREmag. Dr. Merkel, a PhD graduate in Protein Crystallography from the renowned University of St. Andrews in Scotland, began her career in the world of consulting at speedikon FM AG. There, she quickly rose to head of the Consulting Department before returning to science. With her research at Heidelberg University in the field of neuroscience, particularly in Alzheimer's research, she broadened her horizons and ultimately discovered the potential of artificial intelligence.

Her path led her to a fascinating area that encompasses the interface between neuroscience and artificial intelligence. As Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Innomatik AG, Dr. Merkel leads a team dedicated not only to developing reliable AI solutions but also to discovering knowledge management in companies. In an environment characterized by continuous change and innovation, Dr. Merkel emphasizes the importance of reliable AI that operates within corporate infrastructure. The mission of Innomatik AG is to develop tailored AI solutions that not only simplify processes but also place employees at the center. Here, AI is not seen as an end in itself but as a tool that enhances and complements human decision-making. In the current interview, we discuss user-friendly AI that considers security and data protection and not only processes or manages internal company documents but also extracts and secures the implicit knowledge of employees for future generations.

The upcoming interview offers a unique opportunity to learn about the future of AI firsthand and gain insights from one of the leading minds in this field.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: How did your education and career path lead you to specialize in the field of artificial intelligence?

Dr. Alexandra Merkel: I have always worked with large amounts of data, whether in crystallography, in the field of building and energy data management (i.e., in the software industry) or later in neuro-research with electrical impulses from hundreds of cells (electrophysiology). This data always needs to be processed intelligently, which requires large computing capacities that can extract insights from the data. And so, the step from neuro-research into the software industry was not particularly far, especially because there are more opportunities in business use cases to really help people.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: You have an impressive career spanning from protein crystallography to Alzheimer's research and artificial intelligence. What key insights have you gained along the way that have shaped your approach to developing AI solutions?

Dr. Alexandra Merkel: What has always interested me is working with data: what we do with it, how we can learn from it, and what added value we can generate through analysis. This means we always need to think in terms of processes and support them accordingly. Employees therefore require appropriate assistance to better implement a process, capture data, and evaluate it.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: As CTO of Innomatik AG, you play a key role in developing reliable AI solutions. Could you give us an insight into your vision for AI in the business world and how you ensure it meets the needs of employees?

Dr. Alexandra Merkel: AI is already ubiquitous in the business world; ever since the release of ChatGPT, this topic has been on the minds of many. However, we have been working on AI solutions for much longer, for example in the field of image processing. For us, it is important that each solution helps employees do their work well and more efficiently. To achieve this, we closely examine how employees work today, where there are bottlenecks, and where support is needed. AI is always just one piece of the entire “process puzzle.”

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: At your company, you emphasize that AI should not be seen as an end in itself but as a tool to make better decisions. How do you view the role of AI in a company, and what specific benefits can it bring to employees?

Dr. Alexandra Merkel: AI is always part of a whole and never an end in itself; understanding this is very important. However, you can view AI as a kind of assistance system that helps you do your work better. Right now, cars also don’t drive without humans on normal roads—and it will be a while before we get there. Of course, we already have a whole range of assistance systems that make driving easier and safer, whether it’s ABS and brake boosters or new systems like parking aids, lane-keeping assistants, or other solutions. And this is exactly how you can view the use of AI in companies today. For example, AI can predict how wear and tear on my machines will develop and report this before a failure occurs. Other AI methods like image recognition enable the monitoring of workpieces. Or a large language model can efficiently search through all internal company documents and materials for specific items and provide them to the respective employee. What I want to say with these examples is that all employees in all parts of the company can benefit from AI. All you have to do is look individually at what the tasks are and how you can improve them.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: An important aspect of your work is the security and data protection when developing AI solutions. How do you ensure that the systems you develop are both secure and user-friendly?

Dr. Alexandra Merkel: We see security and data protection as an extremely important issue, as AI can extract highly valuable insights—and possibly even competitive advantages—from corporate data. Thanks to our close collaboration with our sister company speedikon FM AG, which has been implementing software projects in large and complex IT environments of major organizations for more than 25 years, we know what matters when it comes to security. On the one hand, all the AI solutions we use can be hosted locally on-premises or in the private cloud of the respective company. This means the data never has to leave the company. On the other hand, we embed AI into processes and thus ensure data access permissions, so that even a clever intern with good AI knowledge cannot access protected data. We have paid attention to this from the very beginning of development; it is the core of our applications.

User-friendliness is a second aspect that should not be neglected. Here, too, we can draw on the experience of our colleagues in the group, which gives us an advantage over start-ups that are dealing with accessibility and similar topics for the first time. As I said: AI is always part of an overall process that, while important, doesn’t necessarily have to be the main focus for the user. After all, the user needs a solution to their problem—whether it’s solved with AI is less important to them.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Can you give us some examples of how AI can process internal company documents while simultaneously extracting and securing the implicit knowledge of employees?

Dr. Alexandra Merkel: AI is ideally suited to sift through large volumes of data and draw meaningful conclusions from it. This approach also works very well for company documents. We have already implemented this in various projects and developed a product called inno:docs that is designed to scan company documents and provide employees with answers to their questions. Since we pay close attention to where the information comes from and the status of each document during AI training, users can rely on the answers always being up to date. As the system not only generates an answer but also displays links to the original documents, users can read the original text. We also have very few issues with the so-called hallucinations of language models. We have already implemented this approach in various areas: when preparing responses to tenders, for example, we achieved a time saving of almost 90%. We are currently working on “tacit” knowledge – and this is a very exciting topic, because a large part of company knowledge is not stored explicitly in documents, but consists of employees’ experience. Converting this into explicit knowledge will keep us busy in the coming period, and the result will certainly be worth another interview.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Finally, how do you see the future of AI in the corporate world? What developments and trends do you expect in the coming years, and how will the role of AI in the workplace evolve further?

Dr. Alexandra Merkel: AI is currently still a major hype. Nevertheless, we are seeing real projects gradually taking shape. A corresponding ROI can also be generated if an AI project is approached skillfully. Our working world will certainly change massively as a result, and it will be important to bring employees along on this journey. On the one hand, there is certainly the possibility that AI will cost jobs – on the other hand, we are facing the major issue of the skills shortage, which must be resolved if Germany is to retain its role on the international economic stage. It will therefore be important to relieve employees of routine tasks so that they can focus on the really important issues. Above all, AI can already make an important contribution to information retrieval today. This in turn helps with employee motivation, because who enjoys spending 20-30% of their working time searching for reliable information?

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Could you perhaps give us three tips at the very end that companies should definitely bear in mind when preparing to enter the field of artificial intelligence and its practical application?

Dr. Alexandra Merkel: There are various things to consider. As with any other IT project, it is naturally important to involve the employees. Because only a living system that helps employees in their work creates corresponding added value for the company. Then, the topic of a solid data basis is of great importance, as AI needs good data to generate usable information. Furthermore, you should initially focus on a single, important topic in order to start with AI in a perhaps smaller pilot project. This way, you can better recognize what is possible with AI and what is not. However, even here, it should be ensured from the outset that the data remains within the company and is not shared externally. Security is also necessary in pilot projects, as otherwise incorrect conclusions may be drawn for later implementation. Suitable small pilot projects could be something as “simple” as evaluating plant or shift logs to reveal sources of error and make them accessible to all employees. Another feasible pilot project would be supporting sales in compiling tender documents. These are topics with which you can “start small” to see how the company can handle this new technology.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Thank you very much indeed for this extremely exciting and above all valuable interview on the use of artificial intelligence in companies.