A new Age of Enlightenment

A new Age of Enlightenment

From Antarctica to Artifical Intelligence, a man-made journey between brilliance and madness

by Jochen Werne

When we look carefully at our past, we come across a fascinating and sometimes schizophrenic human history of partial madness and absolute brilliance – not only when it comes to the use of new technologies. Let’s take a look into some of these stories.

1961 HAVANNA, CUBA: The world is on the brink of a nuclear holocaust. A reality created by the effects of the Cold War, political doctrines, hard borders and, not least, technological progress. Only diplomacy and pure instinct for the essence of human existence on both sides prevented the worst.

A story that reflects the precarious situation of the world at that time particularly well is found in Fidel Castro’s indirect offer to the Soviet Union to “solve the problem” and carry the communist revolution to victory by launching nuclear missiles from Cuban soil. His comrade-in-arms Che Guevara even went a step further, saying, “We say that we must tread the path of liberation, even if it may cost millions of nuclear war victims. In the struggle to the death between two systems, we can think of nothing but the final victory of socialism or its downfall as a result of the nuclear victory of imperialist aggression.” In 1962, the former First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, replied in a letter to Fidel Castro that he did not agree with the idea because it would inevitably lead to thermonuclear war and that there was still a need for a world into which the revolution could be carried.

1961 NEW YORK, USA: In the same year, 12 nations ratify a treaty for the joint administration of an entire continent. A continent larger than the United States. A continent that is home to 90% of the world’s freshwater reserves and is of extraordinary importance for the climate of our planet: Antarctica. It is the year in which one of humanity’s most encouraging treaties was signed – the Antarctic Treaty.

OPEN-SOURCE CONCEPT: The treaty – contains several chapters on the exclusively peaceful and scientific use of Antarctica. Along with this, the treaty also regulates the joint use of all research results and data. A concept that seemed revolutionary for the time and which is crucial for finding solutions to the great challenges of our time – such as climate change or effectively combating a pandemic.

2022 PLANET EARTH. Throughout history, we have often underestimated both the positive and negative impacts on society that come from revolutionary technologies. But technology itself cannot be judged in terms of good or bad. Rather, it is how society uses it that must be judged. Today, we are again on the brink of such a societal challenge.

We live in a globally connected world. Technological progress has made data one of the most important resources. The co-founder of Twitter, Evan Williams, surprisingly stated the following in a New York Times interview in 2017: “I thought that if everyone could speak freely and share information and ideas, the world would – automatically – become a better place. I was wrong”.

It would be easy to get the impression that this phenomenon is new, but Niall Ferguson, professor of history and senior fellow at the Hoover Institute, is convinced that today’s technological progress and its impact on society are comparable to the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century. The printing press had many positive effects on the progress of mankind and catapulted the Bible to the top of the book bestseller list for 200 years. Unfortunately, the same technology made “Malleus Maleficarum”, also known as the “Hammer of witches”, number 2 on this list for the same period. The book was the basis for the witch hunt and brought death to so many innocent people. Certainly, today the contents of the book would be called “fake news”.

PRESENT & THE WORLD OF TOMORROW

We are all shaping the world of tomorrow today, and our aspirations have already led to much good. Technology and human creativity have, for example, contributed to a massive reduction in poverty rates worldwide. In the last 25 years, more than one billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty.

If we look at the moment, we cannot avoid dedicating a few lines to the current COVID-19 pandemic. It is a global challenge and could be the next story of human brilliance and madness. We will witness tremendous advances in medical research and pandemic response measures thanks to AI-based analytics. But we will also witness a recession, which historically has always been an element for populism and nationalism. All this in an environment of fear and closed borders. In these situations, where many feel helpless, change has always come from progressive thinkers who were convinced of their ideas, from Kant to Ghandi to the thought leaders of today.

In our open society and with machine and deep learning technologies in our hands, we have the opportunity to make the world a better place. We can make a difference in our professions, and we can stand up and make our voices heard against polarising movements and injustice in every way. We can use our creativity and intellect to defend “the progress of thought”, which has always had the goal of “freeing man from his fear”, just as it was one of the goals of the Age of Enlightenment.

Sources:
https://www.plattform-lernende-systeme.de/home-en.html
http://www.niallferguson.com
http://antarcticblanc.com
https://www.ats.aq/index_e.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/technology/evan-williams-medium-twitter-internet.html
Photo source: https://pixabay.com

Jochen Werne - acatech Webtalk Clean-up batter comments

Clean-up Batter Comments from the acatech Webtalk „WAYS OUT OF THE CRISIS“

It has been a great pleasure being the clean-up batter for moderator Michael Dowling (University Regensburg) in the Webtalk hosted by Dr. Johannes Winter and the prestigious National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech). The esteemed experts Olga Mordvinova, CEO of incontext.technology; Franz Gruber, founder of Forcam, Kai-Uwe Weiß, Manager at Leser and Wolfgang Faisst, founder of value.works.ai discussed about how digital transformation and artificial intelligence helps SME‘s to find a positive way out of the crisis, about GAIA-X, digital twins and best-practice experiences. It was an honour rounding-up the event together with Prof. Dowling.

Follow the Clean-up Batter comments in this summary

acatech Webtalk – Wege aus der Krise

Details from the webtalk in German HERE . Translation below made with DeepL.com

Munich, March 9, 2021

Digital technologies have proven their worth, especially in the Corona pandemic: Thanks to them, companies were and are more adaptable during the crisis and can respond more quickly to customer requirements. But what role do digital technologies now play in finding a way out of the crisis? And what framework conditions need to be created so that SMEs in particular give up their reluctance to digitize? Experts from business and research discussed this at an acatech Webtalk on March 5.

Many globally operating, medium-sized companies in Germany had a problem during the Corona pandemic: Since business trips were not possible, customers could not take delivery of an ordered product on site at the plant. However, digital technologies provided a remedy: the safety valve manufacturer Leser GmbH, for example, as Leser manager Kai-Uwe Weiß reported in his presentation, offers customers the service of a “remote inspection”, in which customers are guided through the plant via a virtual reality application and can thus carry out the acceptance.

Earlier, Wolfgang Faisst, a member of the Learning Systems Platform and founder of value.works.ai, had already recommended a “Digital Business Framework” to medium-sized companies in his introductory impulse in order to emerge better from the Corona crisis. For this, technological and organizational requirements would have to be optimally harmonized with digital ambitions (e.g. reconfiguration of business processes or digital refinement of products). Wolfgang Faisst referred to the offerings of the Learning Systems Platform, which provides target images, implementation examples and roadmaps for AI introduction and application.

The panel discussion following the presentations, moderated by acatech member Michael Dowling (University of Regensburg), emphasized that the success of Industrie 4.0 must be measured in terms of entrepreneurial results and the customer benefits generated. Olga Mordvinova, member of the Learning Systems Platform and CEO of incontext.technology GmbH, emphasized that Germany has an excellent position both on the technology provider side and in the area of domain knowledge. However, in order for the potential of digitization to be better exploited – especially in SMEs – a secure and sovereign digital infrastructure is needed in Germany and Europe, said Franz Gruber, founder and advisory board member of Forcam GmbH. Only then would companies abandon their reluctance, which is due in part to their dependence on large platform companies. Jochen Werne, member of the Learning Systems Platform and board member of Prosegur Germany, agreed: Fundamental for the near future and the time after Corona is a clear European vision and implementation strategy for digital transformation.

Find the full acatech webtalk here

EVENT – The way out of the crisis: creating added value through digital transformation

An event organised by acatech – the National Academy of Science and Engineering which is the voice of the technological sciences at home and abroad. acatech provides advice on strategic engineering and technology policy issues to policymakers and the public. The National Academy of Science and Engineering fulfils the mandate to provide independent, evidence-based advice that is in the public interest under the patronage of the Federal President.

Start: 05 March 2021 – 10:00 a.m.
End: 05 March 2021 – 11:30 a.m
Location: Virtual event – Language: German

Especially in the Corona pandemic, digital technologies proved their usefulness: through them, companies were more adaptable in the crisis. What role do digital technologies now play on the way out of the crisis – especially for medium-sized companies? How do they manage the digital transformation and develop new value creation models?

A debate organized by acatech

The host is discussing these and other questions with guests from business and research on 5 March.

PROGRAM

Welcome:

Dr. Johannes Winter, acatech Secretariat

Moderation:

Prof. Dr. Michael Dowling, University of Regensburg/acatech

Impulse/Podium:
DATA, VALUES, VALUE CREATION – WHERE IS THE JOURNEY GOING?

Dr. Wolfgang Faisst, CEO ValueWorks.ai / Platform Learning Systems
BEST PRACTICE INDUSTRY 4.0

LESER GmbH & Co. KG: Digital transformation in medium-sized companies
Kai-Uwe Weiß, Head of Global Industrial Engineering
FORCAM GmbH: Value creation through integrative IIoT platform solution
Franz Gruber, Founder and Advisory Board


EXPERT DISCUSSION: DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FOR A RESILIENT COMPANY

Olga Mordvinova, CEO incontext.technology GmbH / Learning Systems Platform
Jochen Werne, Prosegur Cash Services Germany GmbH / Learning Systems Platform
Franz Gruber, FORCAM GmbH
Kai-Uwe Weiß, LESER GmbH & Co. KG

Registration:
Admission free; registration required. Please register under the following link, all registered will receive the access link before the event.

Link to the registration

„POWER of DISPOSAL“ in Der-Bank-Blog

Cash, book money and free availability

by JOCHEN WERNE published in DER BANK BLOG (30 October 2020) – For the original version in German please follow this LINK – English version translated by Deepl.com

“Disposal power” or “authority to dispose” are legal terms which are of great importance in the discussions on cash and book money. It also concerns the freedom of choice of citizens.
The German language today is much more extensive than the 100,000 words used by Goethe in his time. We hardly use many of these words, which are so characteristic of our language, despite their meaning. Perhaps some readers feel the same way about the word “Verfügungsmacht” as I did when I consciously read it for the first time in a quotation from the former president of the Federal Constitutional Court, Prof. Dr. Udo Di Fabio. And perhaps it is like with many things in life that one only realises the deeper meaning at the moment when one deals with it in more detail.
In our modern times, hardly anyone will visit the university library to quickly get to grips with a topic. Instead, people google the library to get an overview. And while less than 20 years ago we would have found our first little research happiness about the term “power of disposal” or also “authority to dispose of property” in the library of the law faculty, Internet research reveals in seconds a glance at a litany of legal forums.


Definition of power of disposal
What is striking here is that the focus is not on the definition of control, but that the topic of regaining control dominates the first page on Google. Inevitably, this reminds me of my first visit to the Munich Google office many years ago. Almost rapturously in his remarks about the power of the algorithm, a sales employee of the world’s most powerful search engine asked the group if we knew where on the Internet they hid a body. With a glance into his head-shaking auditorium, he solved the riddle with a smile and said: “On the second page of Google search. Inevitably, of course, one then asks oneself – albeit only rhetorically – whether the Google business model works in particular because many have simply relinquished control over their data.
The power of disposal or also power of disposition is defined as the “legal power to dispose of an object”. Which is banal, meaning that I should also have the power of disposal over what belongs to me – in other words, what is legally my property. However, the success of my own research on the first Google page suggests one thing above all else to the reader: that the power to dispose of property can be lost. For example, also of your own money? In order to answer this question, one should basically distinguish between cash and book money.


Cash, book money and the power of disposal
With cash, I have direct unlimited physical control over my money in the form of coins or notes. This power of disposal can of course be lost if I am robbed or simply lose my wallet. Without entering into the legal depths of “normal” debt and the right to dispose of money, citizens have in principle all the means guaranteed by the state at their disposal to recover their property.
The same applies to book money, if, for example, money is lost through credit card fraud when shopping online. The limits of non-physical power of disposal would, however, quickly become apparent if a bank went bankrupt and the money parked in the account in excess of the deposit guarantee was no longer available.
Cash, book money and free availability
It is utopian and not at all sensible to hoard all one’s “money” as cash. But it is certainly important to make clear what it means to no longer have the freedom of choice between cash and book money and thus to completely give up one’s right to physical availability of money.
In the concluding sentence of his speech at the 2018 Cash Symposium of the Deutsche Bundesbank, Udo Di Fabio underlined what is probably the most important point in the current discussion surrounding this election. He said that it should not be “disregarded” in principle that every citizen should be able to freely dispose of his money – his “exchangeable assets”. He further added that this was particularly true when “financial privacy” was considered a legal requirement.
This means that a society whose entire assets would only be managed digitally in book money could also only exercise limited individual power of disposal over its money and would have to face the question “whether the state, through its central bank, would be entitled to carry out a controlled devaluation through negative interest rates, booking discounts or fees on credit balances”. Prof. Di Fabio further points out that this would then not only be an encroachment on ownership but, as a result, possibly also the imposition of a special levy, which is only permitted under strict conditions in the German legal system.


Conflicts of interest and trust
It is easy to see that this issue can give rise to considerable conflicts of interest in the triangular relationship between citizens (- how can I protect and increase my money), government (- how can public debt be reduced) and central bank (- how can economic and monetary stability be ensured). This is particularly true in the light of the continuing challenges posed by the Corona pandemic.
It is thanks to the excellent work of the Deutsche Bundesbank since the Federal Republic of Germany came into existence and the confidence it has built up in our currency that the confidence of the public in both cash and book money is so high in this country.
Freedom of choice between cash and book money
Of course, another decisive aspect of this trust is the freedom of choice between cash and book money, which the Bundesbank also advocates. This freedom of choice also offers banks the opportunity to deal flexibly with the funds. For example, instead of charging 100 percent negative interest on book money to citizens or companies, banks could also physically hold it or have it held in safekeeping as cash.
Since it is not part of a bank’s core competence to operate high-security systems and one certainly does not want to expose one’s own employees to the risk of a robbery or the blackmailing abduction of a family member, there is of course the possibility of outsourcing such a service in a LCR-compatible and MaRisk-compliant manner. A service that supports the customer in parts of his liquidity management and does not make it difficult for him to possibly maintain his own safe in his own four walls and without a security concept and thus endanger himself and his family.
“Money is coined freedom”
In his prose work “Records from a House of the Dead”, the Russian writer Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky describes his own experiences in Siberian captivity and formulates the later much quoted sentence: “Money is coined freedom”, thereby describing the vital relevance of a free exchange of goods in an unfree environment – and this through coined cash money. For the young Dostoyevsky, the changeover to a pure book money system in Siberian prison would have meant the withdrawal of his individual power of disposal over money, so that in reverse he would no longer have any assets which he could have used for the exchange of goods and other things. He describes this situation in the quintessence as follows: The suffering of prisoners who do not have money is “10 times greater”.
It is therefore reasonable to assume that the intellectual, serious discussions about the freedom of choice between cash and book money and the freedom of citizens in a constitutional state, which is freely consolidated in its constitution, would please Dostoevsky with his experiences in an unfree society. And it is characteristic of our open society that, especially in a crisis like the present one, we are conducting and continuing the debate on freedom of choice and power of disposal at this level, and not only with regard to our money.

New Springer book co-authorship: “Artificial Intelligence meets Homo Sapiens“ in CRM GOES DIGITAL

It has been a privilege contributing as co-author for the fifth time to an inspiring book project. “CRM goes digital“ has been initiated by Dr. Martin Stadelmann, Mario Pufahl and David Lauch and is part of the Springer Gabler Edition Sales Excellence book series (ESE)

Artificial Intelligence meets Homo Sapiens – Possible applications and limits of artificial intelligence

Author: Jochen Werne

Werne J. (2020) Artificial Intelligence meets Homo Sapiens – Einsatzmöglichkeiten und Grenzen Künstlicher Intelligenz. In: Stadelmann M., Pufahl M., Laux D. (eds) CRM goes digital. Edition Sales Excellence. Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden

Abstract

A special encounter. Algorithms developed by humans meet everything that man and nature embody – from industrial processes to our very own behaviour. A race between countries and companies has begun to decide the enormous potential of AI and its impact on our consumer behavior, as well as on our society. However, despite all the euphoria, it is important to understand the topic, its possible applications and also its limitations well, so as not to succumb to the danger of losing oneself in technology-believing magic.

About the book: CRM goes digital

Consistent customer orientation and digital transformation lead to completely new approaches in management: the focus is on omnichannel or mobile CRM concepts, big-data and social media instruments, and automation. But what does this mean in concrete terms for marketing, sales and service? What effects does digitalization have on product and service optimization or on sales management and customer loyalty? How can methodical customer orientation contribute to an improvement in sales performance? Answers to these and other questions are provided by the contributions from science and practice in this book. The authors illuminate the requirements and possible solutions of CRM systems along the concept of the customer journey using selected industry examples. They provide concrete recommendations for action and offer managers and users from customer-oriented business areas valuable orientation aids for the implementation of digital customer management.

From the content
CRM: strategies, organisation, controlling and employees
Concepts in digitisation
Best Practices in CRM: Case studies of customer-centric companies
Topics of CRM research

Virtual MeetUp: DOES MARKETING MAKE SENSE DURING THE CORONA CRISIS?

Thank you very much Stefanie Milcke for the friendly invitation to this inspiring marketing meetup in the age of Corona!

It’s all about when and in what form marketing makes sense in such extraordinary times, and possibly even makes companies emerge stronger from the crisis. Certainly, as in any crisis, transparent communication to the outside world, but above all internally, is the ultimate discipline.

Message from the organizer

Virtual Meetup: Macht Marketing während der Corona Krise Sinn?

Wednesday, Apr 15, 2020, 5:00 PM

Online event
,

8 Mitglieder Attending

Die Corona Krise trifft uns alle unvorbereitet. Gerade im Marketing herrscht derzeit viel Ahnungslosigkeit, wie mit der Situation umzugehen ist, weshalb die meisten Unternehmen unisono “wir sind da” kommunizieren und kaum einer Indiviualität zeigt. Deshalb widme ich dieses virtuelles Meetup dem Thema “Macht Marketing in der Corona Krise überhaupt S…

Check out this Meetup →

Hiermit lade ich euch alle ganz herzlich zu meinem (ersten) virtuellen Meetup in meiner neuen Gruppe Munich Marketing Roundtable ein. Das Thema: Macht Marketing während der Corona Krise Sinn?

Details

Die Corona Krise trifft uns alle unvorbereitet. Gerade im Marketing herrscht derzeit viel Ahnungslosigkeit, wie mit der Situation umzugehen ist, weshalb die meisten Unternehmen unisono “wir sind da” kommunizieren und kaum einer Indiviualität zeigt.

Deshalb widme ich dieses virtuelles Meetup dem Thema “Macht Marketing in der Corona Krise überhaupt Sinn?” Dafür habe ich ein Experten Round Table organisiert und lade euch hiermit gerne als Zuhörer und “Mit-Diskutierer” ein.

Jeder meiner Experten wird zu Beginn kurz (10 Minuten) seine Erfahrungen insbesondere kommunikativer Natur mit der Krise schildern und dann für die offene Q&A mit euch zur Verfügung stehen.

Dafür habe ich mir ein paar tolle Experten eingeladen:

  • Slavisa Gasic (mein Co-Host, Founder ServicePro, Marketing Allrounder, Experte für Leadgenerierung und CRM)
  • Jochen Werne (CDO Prosegur Germany, Digitalisierungsexperte, ehemals CDO, COO, CMO in Banken)
  • Susanne Schmitz (Founder Agentur wildefreunde, Marketing Allrounder, Experte für Brands)
  • Martin Endara Estrella (Coach, Berater und Trainer, Experte für Social Media und Storytelling)
  • Joey Grit Winkler (Moderatorin Welt der Wunder, Fintech Konferenz Host, Expertin für Bewegtbild Content)

Ich freue mich auf euch!

Handelsblatt Webinar – Managing Corona

Handelsblatt Managing Corona Webinar
YOU CAN‘T GO AGAINST THE SEA
mit Jochen Werne

Fr. 3 April – 16.30

Register for free at https://veranstaltungen.handelsblatt.com/managing-corona/content-piece/you-cant-go-against-the-sea/

Heading to the sea –
Planung trifft Realität
What to do when the storm hit you –
Vom Lock-down zum Lock-On
Finding new routes
Die neue Realität in einer Welt beschleunigter Transformation