At the Rise of AI Summit 2020, Charlotte Seiler, AI Innovation Manager at Berlin Partner, the city's local economic development agency, gives an overview of Berlin's AI ecosystem. She reports more than 220 AI companies in the Berlin-Brandenburg region, close to 30 percent of all German AI companies, drawing on research institutions such as the Technical University, the newly formed BIFOLD AI learning center, Fraunhofer, DFKI, and Charite for health-related AI. Business intelligence and process management account for 36 percent of local AI applications, health about 10 percent, followed by mobility, commerce, entertainment and robotics. She highlights major corporate AI labs, including Amazon's, alongside scale-ups like Merantix and startups such as ADA Health, and describes community infrastructure like the AI Monday meetup series she co-organizes, the Berlin AI website, and the upcoming Merantix AI Campus. Seiler's stated goal is to bundle Berlin's AI activities under one overarching initiative and website so the ecosystem can speak with one voice internationally, while continuing to attract talent and shape enabling regulation.
Key takeaways
- Berlin-Brandenburg hosts more than 220 AI companies, close to 30 percent of all German AI companies.
- Business intelligence and process management make up the largest application area at 36 percent, followed by health at around 10 percent.
- Charlotte Seiler's main strategic goal is to bundle Berlin's scattered AI initiatives into one overarching community and website.
- Key Berlin AI research institutions include the Technical University, the newly formed BIFOLD learning center, Fraunhofer, DFKI and Charite.
- Seiler says the pandemic's shift to virtual events paradoxically made it easier to connect internationally with newcomers to the ecosystem.
Detailed notes
Berlin's AI landscape and scale
Seiler describes Berlin as a creative metropolis, startup hub and growing international AI hub, supported by Berlin Partner, the local economic development agency, where she works within the ICT, media and creative industries cluster covering future-oriented sectors like energy, healthcare and mobility. She reports more than 220 AI companies in the Berlin-Brandenburg region, representing close to 30 percent of all German AI companies, making it one of the country's major AI hubs. She credits the region's dual-city history for a dense concentration of universities and research institutions, including the Technical University, the newly formed BIFOLD AI learning center, Fraunhofer, DFKI, and Charite, a major stakeholder in AI-driven health research.
Corporate landscape and application areas
On the corporate side, Seiler points to major companies moving AI innovation labs to Berlin, such as Amazon, scale-ups like Merantix in AI venture building, and application-focused startups such as ADA Health. By application area, business intelligence and business process management make up the largest share at 36 percent, followed by health applications at around 10 percent, with mobility, commerce, entertainment and robotics forming additional pillars.
Community infrastructure and next steps
Seiler describes Berlin's AI community as built on both physical spaces and recurring events, including the AI Monday meetup series she co-organizes, the Deep Berlin community and its annual conference, the Data Natives conference, and Rise of AI itself. She notes a trend toward more open labs and campuses, citing the upcoming Merantix AI Campus and existing spaces like the Drivery, alongside R&D labs from Amazon and Google. In her own role she organizes events, runs tailored workshops for companies adopting AI, and manages the AI Berlin website. Her stated priority for Berlin's ecosystem going forward is to bundle scattered initiatives into one overarching community and website, continue attracting international talent, and shape regulation that protects citizens' rights while still enabling new research and applications.
Q&A highlights
Asked how newcomers can connect to the ecosystem during the pandemic, Seiler says the shift from in-person meetups to virtual events, including this conference, has paradoxically made international connections easier, citing an inquiry she had just received from Australia. Asked to compare Hamburg's AI ecosystem to Berlin's, she says she has less direct contact with Hamburg but knows it runs its own events, such as AI innovation breakfasts, and that Berlin is larger from a venture capital perspective, with other clusters around Aachen and Munich. Asked how Berlin connects with international AI ecosystems such as Israel's, she cites the Israel-organized Future of AI conference held in Berlin as one example, while stressing more international ties are still needed since no single country can advance AI research alone. Asked for a wish, she says she hopes Berlin's AI ecosystem can speak with one voice through a single overarching initiative.
Quotes
My personal wish is always that we speak more with one voice in Berlin.
Charlotte Seiler
Questions answered in this talk
How large is Berlin's AI ecosystem?
According to Charlotte Seiler at Rise of AI Summit 2020, the Berlin-Brandenburg region hosts more than 220 AI companies, close to 30 percent of all German AI companies.
What are the main AI application areas in Berlin?
According to Charlotte Seiler at Rise of AI Summit 2020, business intelligence and process management account for 36 percent of local AI applications, followed by health at around 10 percent, with mobility, commerce, entertainment and robotics also represented.
What research institutions drive AI in Berlin?
According to Charlotte Seiler at Rise of AI Summit 2020, key institutions include the Technical University Berlin, the newly formed BIFOLD AI learning center, Fraunhofer, DFKI, and Charite for health-related AI research.