Too much AI dependency: Has Bosch learnt too little?
Bosch is going all in on artificial intelligence and working closely with Microsoft to do so. Opportunity or risk? In a report by Tagesschau, digital expert Mirko Ross gives his view of the partnership, and he is critical of it.
“The announcement suggests that, when it comes to dependency, Bosch has learnt nothing or very little from its experience with operating systems, business applications and the cloud.”
Who decides on access to AI?
The key question is who controls access to powerful AI. The answer is Microsoft and the US government. “German companies are already at a disadvantage today because of export restrictions, as the latest-generation models or certain features are withheld or can only be used by US companies.” Then there is the cost. Microsoft already uses its market power to set the price of business-critical software, and Mirko Ross expects the same to happen with AI.
A key technology needs sovereignty
This matters all the more because AI is becoming a key technology. In future, it will largely decide how productive and competitive companies are.
“Not relying on sovereign solutions here carries considerable risks.”
Investing in European AI
Mirko Ross would therefore like to see German industry invest heavily in European AI solutions: “The money Bosch is putting into Microsoft would yield a much better return for the future if it were invested in European AI models and AI tools.”
We do not know exactly what Bosch and Microsoft have agreed. Even so, it pays to look closely. Companies should check which dependencies they are taking on and what problems these could cause. As cybersecurity experts, we need to know this, and we share that knowledge, including with media such as ARD/Tagesschau.
Read the full report (in German) on tagesschau.de:
https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/bosch-microsoft-ki-100.html
Konrad Buck
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