Trustworthy technology. Industrial data. European cooperation.

These are the three key pillars of Germany's plan to catch up in the global race for artificial intelligence (AI).

Around the world, breakthroughs in the field are transforming entire industries. Yet none of the leading AI technologies have been developed in Germany. Instead, applications from a handful of companies in the United States and China dominate the global market.

"The reality is that too little has happened for too long," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the German government's Digital Summit in Frankfurt, an annual gathering of politicians, business leaders and civil society. And yet, "a swan song is completely inappropriate, because the strengths of our country — creativity, innovation and hard work — remain strong today," Scholz added.

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In Frankfurt, members of his coalition government, which includes Scholz's center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the environmentalist Greens and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP), outlined their plan for Germany to remain competitive in the global AI race. Their medium-term goal is to achieve "technological sovereignty", that is, independence from foreign tech giants.

The big question now is: Will their strategy succeed?

Research into artificial intelligence — computer programs that autonomously perform........

© Deutsche Welle