Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser at DLDsummer

"Speed is Not the Most Important Factor in Digitalisation"

MUNICH, June 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Yesterday saw the start of DLDsummer, the summer spin-off of Burda's DLD conference, which is one of Europe's most successful innovation and digital conferences. Around 500 participants and over 40 speakers headed to Munich's Haus der Kunst to discuss the effects of digitalisation on all socially relevant areas.

Major corporation meets social enterprise 

"The future has brought us together today!" declared DLD founder and managing director Steffi Czerny as she opened the conference. "How will digitalisation continue to change our world? What effect will artificial intelligence, virtual reality and blockchain have on all aspects of our daily lives? We bring people to the stage who are ahead of their time and helping to shape our future. Mark Zuckerberg, Marissa Mayer and Sheryl Sandberg have already appeared at DLD events," Czerny continued.

"At DLDsummer, Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser will provide a perspective from the management of German DAX companies," added Dominik Wichmann, DLD managing director and editor-in-chief. "At the same time, we will focus on social topics by collaborating with Ashoka, the world's largest network for social entrepreneurs."

Artificial intelligence in the financial industry 

The first morning of the conference made it clear how important artificial intelligence is becoming for both consumers and companies. Alexander Del Toro Barba of VisualVest tackled the question of how artificial intelligence can optimise financial processes. He explained that banks are already investing lots of money in developing this technology further: "It's not just about simple banking activities, but also about supporting customers with a wide range of financial topics." Another industry aim is to identify customers by their facial features - and to process payments automatically using biometric characteristics. He predicts that: "In five years, cards to identify customers will be a thing of the past."

Siemens plans Innovations AG 

Dominik Wichmann (DLD) discussed innovations within companies with Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser. "In contrast to many experts, I believe that adaptability, not speed, is the most important factor in company digitalisation", declared Kaeser. To keep pace with technological developments, Siemens plans to set up an internal Innovations AG, which will act as a venture capitalist for start-ups.