Siemens CEO Philip Boleren delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference

The 2021 International Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) was officially opened, and Roland Busch, Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and CEO of Siemens AG, was invited to attend the opening ceremony and deliver a speech.

Siemens CEO Philip Boleren delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference

　　Bo Leren pointed out that digital transformation is the only way for all shopping malls and even the social economy to complete high-quality and patient development. Digitalization is driving industrial innovation, leading to higher productivity, quality, flexibility, and sustainability, and AI is playing an important role in this revolution. To succeed in the field of artificial intelligence, three prerequisites are required: industry knowledge and experience; Establish trust and network information security assurance; Collaborate and build an ecosystem.

He also stressed that today, it is more important than ever to work together with our fellow workers. We need to work closely together with a more open mindset to build an open ecosystem, where everyone can contribute and reap the rewards together.

Dear Secretary Li Qiang,

Thank you very much for having me! It is a great honor to participate in the opening ceremony of the 2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference.

Today, humanity is facing serious challenges – the continued spread of the pandemic, urbanization, demographic change and, of course, climate change. To meet these challenges, we need to drive change in the pillars of the economy.

I applaud China for putting innovation at the heart of its 14th Five-Year Plan and its commitment to digital transformation and sustainable development. In fact, not only in China, digital transformation is the only way to achieve high-quality and resilient development in all markets and even in the social economy.

There's a lot of potential behind this:

Let's take infrastructure as an example, where digital technologies can help save up to 20% when it comes to the operation and maintenance of commercial buildings.

In the field of transportation: digital signaling technology can increase capacity by 20% without adding any infrastructure.

In the industrial sector, 60% of manufacturing tasks can be automated, which means that we are able to achieve greater resource efficiency.

As a result, digitalization is driving industrial transformation, leading to higher productivity, quality and flexibility, as well as sustainable development.

Artificial intelligence is playing an important role in this transformation. And to succeed in the field of artificial intelligence, we need three prerequisites:

Possess industry knowledge and experience

Build trust and cyber information security

Collaborate and build an ecosystem

So, what does industry knowledge and experience mean?

For industrial applications, it's not enough to just give data to a few experts and let them do AI analysis. Of course, every AI expert at an IT company can spot possible anomalies in the database. But it is only when you have a deep understanding of the system, such as how the motor works and how it interacts with a pump or valve, that intelligent algorithms can be developed to predict the downtime of a machine or system.

That's exactly what Siemens is doing. We have around 1,000 AI experts who use the industry knowledge and experience needed to create value for our customers by bridging the physical and digital worlds.

In the automotive industry, AI has become a decisive factor in increasing productivity. I would like to share with you the story of Beijing Benz, an automobile manufacturer. Siemens helped Beijing Benz improve the production efficiency of its press shop. During the stamping process, vibrations can show the health of the machine. However, it is not possible to manually monitor and analyze all vibrations.

However, based on the millions of data points generated by sensors, we can easily track vibrations through data science and artificial intelligence. Combined with the industry knowledge of our experts, predictions can be made. Our AI solution identified an anomalous vibration pattern shortly after the plant was deployed, triggering early warnings and helping customers avoid equipment failures.

This is how AI can create real value in the real world.

Of course, achieving such results requires a deep understanding of the challenges faced by customers and their operations. In addition, both sides need to build mutual trust and share data. But even with the highest level of mutual trust, there is still a risk of data leakage and the possibility of security systems being breached.

So, next I'd like to talk about cyber security. China has realized the importance of this issue, which coincides with Siemens. For example, we are able to offer software products with digital identity authentication to ensure that customers only get software updates from trusted sources.

At the same time, we are helping Norway with the overall transformation of railway infrastructure. Norway's legacy system, which includes more than 11,000 signals and 300 interlocking stations, will be replaced by a digital system, with only one digital interlock and one data centre. Siemens won this project because of our ability to provide an unrivalled data security solution.

Therefore, ensuring network information security is a necessary prerequisite for the successful realization of digital transformation and AI applications. This has also been pointed out by the mayor of Shanghai, who mentioned the need to vigorously develop the cybersecurity industry and effectively improve the resilience of cybersecurity. He also stressed the importance of synergy.

This brings me to my third point. Today, it is more important than ever to work with all partners. No single country or organization can achieve digital transformation or unleash the full potential of AI on its own.

We need to work together with a more open mind. If you want to really help your customers, you also need to listen to your suppliers to build an open ecosystem where everyone can contribute and gain something at the same time.

For example, we have set up an AI lab in China, where we co-create solutions and applications with more than 15 partners. We have also been working closely with Tsinghua University, and the latest joint project is the establishment of a joint R&D center for industrial intelligence and Internet of Things, with a focus on artificial intelligence.

Next year will be the 150th year that Siemens and China have joined forces. Over time, Siemens has become an integral part of China's economy and has established a complete localization value chain here. We are proud of the high level of recognition from the government, customers and partners.

Therefore, we are very pleased to be invited by the Shanghai Municipal Government to provide a proposal for a digital empowerment platform solution for the next generation of the automotive industry in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Our proposal is to build an ecosystem based on equal partnerships to achieve the exchange and integration of technology, data, business and talent in China and between different countries. In addition, there is a need to regulate by introducing technologies such as cybersecurity.

Compared to when I was living in China more than 10 years ago, the changes that have taken place here are amazing. China's economy and society are already so advanced, prosperous, and so resilient. What an achievement!

Thank you again for the invitation of the General Assembly. I wish this conference a complete success!

Siemens CEO Philip Boleren delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference

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