Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) wants to promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for millions of employees in Germany and shape it politically. “We will try to get AI onto the streets in Germany,” said Heil on Monday evening in Berlin. By 2035 at the latest, there will be no more jobs that have nothing to do with AI applications.
Heil said that at least since the text robot ChatGPT was on everyone’s lips, many people asked themselves: “What does that actually do to my work in journalism, at the office workplace, in administration?” But work will not run out, but will change, said Heil. “If used well, AI can ensure that the world of work becomes more humane, that we prevent accidents at work, for example, that work is healthy.”
However, politicians should not turn a blind eye to the fact that this development could be misused “to intensify work, put pressure on people and monitor them totally, for example”. Where there are major risks, strong rules are needed. Together with the interior department, Heil announced that his company would present key points for data protection for employees.
Heil wants to make administration more efficient
But overall expectations are positive for the SPD politician. For Heil, the central issue is “that we want to build trust and also use artificial intelligence”. This applies above all to small and medium-sized companies. AI should be made more accessible to them in the future.
In addition, the use of AI should also serve to make administration more efficient. As an example, Heil mentioned that the Federal Employment Agency can use AI to better bring job seekers and suitable vacancies together.
In a separate department of his ministry, the “Denkfabrik Digitale Arbeitsgesellschaft”, experts are investigating key future developments in the labor market. They use AI applications themselves, as Heil explained when presenting the department. An instrument called “Horizon Scanning” scans around 200 million text sources to identify such trends.
At the cabinet meeting at Meseberg Castle last week, the government decided on a data strategy with which the federal government wants to create the technical and legal prerequisites for the use of AI applications in administration over the next two years.
