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Dr Melanie von der Wiesche has been head of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) West site since 2022. Her plan is to make DLR a pioneer in AI research.
Dr von der Wiesche, the really big questions of our time are being decided in the areas in which DLR works: war, energy transition, AI, e-mobility. Aren't you in danger of getting bogged down?
No, because we focus on our most important unique selling point: application-oriented research. We want what we develop here to help solve society's problems. To this end, we are in constant dialogue with policymakers and industry, so that companies can approach us and ask to work with us. We have a large number of major research and testing facilities that are unique.
Many of society's current questions revolve around AI. The Institute for AI Safety & Security in Sankt Augustin is part of your area of responsibility. What is being worked on there?
Security is one of our core topics. The rapid progress in the field of artificial intelligence poses a certain danger. Our team in Sankt Augustin wants to ensure that safety, transparency and ethics are taken into account from the outset in the development of such systems, as is already being done in aviation. AI systems will soon be part of the critical infrastructure, and protecting them from the outset is particularly important in today's world. At the Institute for AI Safety & Security, we are working on the first pilot projects in the transport sector - for example, how AI can be used in traffic control. We currently have around 80 people at the institute, and we plan to grow to 120 in the medium term.
Where will you find the additional 60 people you want to hire for the Institute for AI Safety & Security?
We have a great location advantage: People - especially younger people - want to live in Cologne and the region. I know this from my own experience; my daughter moved back to Cologne from Regensburg after university. I myself came here from Hesse to work after my studies. Then there are the many excellent universities and technical colleges, whose graduates we want to, and often do, attract to our company. This is one of the reasons why this centre was set up here and not at another DLR site.
The DLR in Cologne: unique in Europe
The DLR (German Aerospace Centre) site covers an area of 55 hectares. In addition to DLR's research and central facilities, the European Space Agency (ESA) has established its EAC Astronaut Centre here. DLR concentrates its AI activities at the Institute for AI Safety & Security in Sankt Augustin. Here, theoretical ideas are turned into concrete projects that use artificial intelligence to simplify the everyday lives of people and companies.
Cars and transport – just smarter
At DLR's Institute for AI Safety & Security, researchers are working on the future of traffic control and the automotive industry. Much of this work is focused on one of Europe's most ambitious projects: Gaia-X. The aim is to create a European data infrastructure that is independent of US giants such as Amazon or Microsoft.
Gaia-X 4 Future Mobility
This name covers six projects that are developing and implementing Gaia-X-based applications for future mobility. Coordinated by the Institute for AI Safety & Security, the partners are working on a decentralised data and service ecosystem. Companies, local authorities and other interested parties can then develop AI-based solutions to traffic problems.
Catena-X
This abstract term stands for a platform through which the automotive industry can exchange data and jointly develop applications. Participants include not only manufacturers, but also suppliers, software companies and the German automobile association ADAC. Catena-X enables the automotive industry, for example, to develop applications to assess its own supply chain for sustainability criteria.
