Berlin Summit Puts AI in State and Business Hands

Germany’s two-day Digital Summit opened in Berlin on Monday, Nov. 2, with more than 1,000 guests expected, including digital ministers from Europe and Canada. The government agenda puts artificial intelligence alongside digital infrastructure, safety and military cooperation. The people and businesses exposed to AI’s risks are part of the story; the summit’s speakers and scheduled meetings show who is setting its direction.

The state sets the agenda

Karsten Wildberger, the minister for digital affairs, opened the conference. Chancellor Friedrich Merz was scheduled to speak and meet a humanoid robot made by German company Neura Robotics, which develops robots able to see, hear and feel, with potential uses in industry and households. The display joins government authority to a company’s vision of machines entering workplaces and homes. The summit’s focus includes both the infrastructure that enables digital systems and questions about how safely they’re used.

The conference was being held for the 19th time since it began in 2006 as the National IT Summit. It didn’t take place in 2021, an election year in Germany. This is an established government gathering, now giving AI a prominent place in discussions about the country’s digital infrastructure. The base article reports no decisions or new protections announced at the opening.

Military cooperation is also on the agenda. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his UK counterpart Wes Streeting were due to discuss expanding artificial intelligence’s role in military cooperation between Germany and the UK. The report gives no details of particular systems or plans. But the scheduled talks place AI not only in offices and households, but in cooperation between national defense ministries.

Small businesses face the risks

For small and medium-sized businesses, AI brings possible uses and a sharper set of cyber risks. AI models can help even modestly skilled hackers gain unauthorized access to company computer systems. They can support more and better phishing emails, or help exploit vulnerabilities in server configurations. Businesses can lose money and customer information.

“AI has increased the speed and complexity of cyberattacks, by allowing hackers to automate their activity and operate at scale,” said Conor O'Neill, co-founder and CEO of OnSecurity. He said cybercriminals use AI to write exploit code quickly, identify system vulnerabilities, adjust tactics by analysing defences and generate phishing and deepfake content.

O'Neill described phishing attacks as the most prevalent and disruptive type of cyberattack last year, and warned that AI use in them would become more widespread and sophisticated over the coming months. “The idea that small businesses aren't at risk is a dangerous misconception,” he said. The threat reaches firms that may not have the resources of larger companies, while the summit’s national-level discussion also includes military uses and industry’s interest in automation.

AI-generated images, videos and voices can impersonate people. That can enable fraudulent transactions by people posing as customers or suppliers. The same impersonation risks may also affect hiring: businesses could employ people without genuine qualifications or who may not be legally allowed to work.

Ransomware presents another threat. An attacker can run a malicious program on a company’s computers, lock them and block access to files, then demand payment to restore access. Paying doesn’t guarantee the attacker will release the systems as promised.

Automation’s promised efficiencies

AI may also handle accounting and company finances, potentially removing the need for day-to-day oversight. Agentic AI is only beginning to be adopted, and few small and medium-sized businesses use it extensively. It could eventually automate back-office tasks such as marketing, diary organization and supply-chain management.

Other possible uses include building automated funnels to capture prospective clients, researching opportunities and proofreading. Those tools could let employees spend more time on relationships and growth instead of routine operations. For now, these are potential uses, not established outcomes. Berlin’s summit places that promise beside the risks, with government officials, defense ministers and technology companies prominent in the reported agenda.