In an interview with the German newspaper ‘Der Tagesspiegel,’ one of BIFOLD’s directors, Prof. Dr. Markl, explains the necessary steps to drive Europe forward in terms of data sovereignty and innovation ecosystems.
In an interview with Oliver Voss (Tagesspiegel), Prof. Dr. Volker Markl, Head of the DIMA (TUB) and IAM (DFKI) research groups and one of the directors of the BIFOLD institute, explains the challenges and opportunities in handling data as a production factor in Europe. How can we achieve AI leadership across Europe and how can we make progress in research, training and innovation in the areas of big data management and machine learning?
"Data is not the new oil, but the new soil. Because just as new grain is created from the soil, new information can be gained from data. And just as I have to fertilize or water the soil, I also have to maintain, clean and update data. But above all, you can import raw materials, but you have to have a production factor in your own country, which is why sovereignty in this area is so important."
Prof. Dr. Volker Markl
Among many other points, Prof. Markl suggests to concentrate on excellence in research and education in European AI Centers such as BIFOLD and the other Institutions in the German Network of National Centers of Excellence for AI Research. The combination of strong research and education as well as an extensive data analysis infrastructure to share and process data across different domains may create the innovation ecosystem Europe needs to compete internationally.