Germany and Europe face the challenge of keeping up in the global race for digital innovations while simultaneously ensuring their technological sovereignty. At the first CISPA CYBER BRIEFING in Berlin, CISPA CEO and Founding Director Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael Backes emphasized: “Germany must have the courage to position itself at the forefront of AI and cybersecurity research. Truly major breakthroughs come only through disruption, and we can only achieve large-scale value creation if we focus on excellence-driven transfer.” Reacting to cyber threats on a case-by-case basis and investigating symptoms rather than identifying root causes is the wrong approach. “CISPA is engaged in disruptive basic research and excellence-driven transfer with the aim of making a difference.”
A central aspect here is the development of trustworthy artificial intelligence – a topic that was also highlighted at the Cyber Briefing. CISPA Faculty Professor Mario Fritz explained the engaged audience: “IT security and artificial intelligence are closely intertwined. We cannot conceive of trustworthy AI without security. Sustainable goals must include guarantees and security by design.” Fritz coordinates the European excellence network ELSA – European Lighthouse on Secure and Safe AI, which connects top research institutions and industry to jointly tackle the major challenges of trustworthy AI in areas such as autonomous driving, document security, healthcare, cybersecurity, large language models, and robotics.
The vital importance of integrating security and trust considerations into AI from the outset is also demonstrated by the CISPA-supported startup QuantPi. “We want to make the use of AI safe so that we can trust it even when applied in sensitive areas like medicine and autonomous driving,” explained Max Losch, a machine learning researcher at QuantPi. With QuantPi’s technology, companies can perform automated risk assessments to ensure that their AI models and applications meet the highest European standards.
Another example of successful technology transfer from the CISPA ecosystem was provided by Veecle co-founder and CEO Stefan Nürnberger. He presented in Berlin how his company assists automobile manufacturers in making their software architectural designs more flexible, secure, and independent of individual suppliers.
With an integrated platform and specialized tools, Veecle enables more efficient development and a more thorough integration of vehicle software. “You can see in our software: innovation does not always have to be tangible. But software must continually evolve and is never finished.”
The first CISPA CYBER BRIEFING demonstrated that excellent research and bold transfer are the key to Europe’s digital sovereignty.
