AI Summit 2026

Kenza Ait Si Abbou is an engineer and AI expert. She was a Member of the Executive Board at the logistics provider Fiege. As CTO, she was responsible for the company’s technology development. Prior to that, Ait Si Abbou worked at Telekom in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence, before moving to IBM as Director of Client Engineering for the DACH region. She is the author of several non-fiction books and was named one of Capital’s ‘Top 40 Under 40’. She has recently been featured in the press, for example in *Der Spiegel* and *Business Insider*.

Dr Sebastian Dettmers is one of the leading voices in the debate on the German labour market, the skills shortage and the future of work. As the long-standing CEO of the Stepstone Group, he brings the perspective of a leading digital recruitment company that continuously analyses labour market trends, applicant behaviour and skills requirements. He has held senior positions at Stepstone since 2011; he has been leading the group as CEO since January 2020. He is also the author of the book *Die große Arbeiterlosigkeit*.

As Head of Software Development at ITZBund, the central IT service provider for the federal administration, Jens Gehres has many years’ experience in IT consolidation within the federal administration. At the AI Summit, he will provide insights into the development and functionality of KIPITZ – a central AI portal that provides government agencies with standardised, agency-specific applications based on generative AI. What challenges were encountered during the portal’s roll-out? How does KIPITZ combine usability with security standards? How do integration options for in-house IT solutions work, and what role does KIPITZ play here? What are the federal administration’s next steps regarding AI-supported (agent-based) workflows? And what can we all learn from this? Delve into the current practices of the federal administration and its future.

Language models are transforming learning – whilst at the same time threatening to disconnect us from it. When an AI agent completes tasks in minutes that would take hours to do manually, taking the shortcut seems, on the face of it, to be the rational choice. Some outsource their thinking to agents and collect certificates without acquiring the necessary skills, whilst others use AI as a thinking tool that enhances their own learning process.
At present, having their own AI tutor is a goal many lecturers and universities are striving for. But what happens when such a system is actually available?
This article provides an honest account of its real-world use with students in a civil engineering module. It explores what worked, what proved surprising, which questions remain unanswered – and how things might progress from here.
A practical report with open questions as a starting point for discussing how effective learning can be achieved with or despite AI.

Dr Jörg Herbers is an expert in artificial intelligence and software. Since 2000, he has played a key role at the Aachen-based software company INFORM in various management positions, serving as Executive Director from 2021 to 2026. In particular, he drove forward the company’s technological development and the practical application of AI-based solutions in business processes. Today, he is committed to the strategic development of Aachen as a centre for AI. At the AI Summit, he combines his technological expertise with an exploration of how AI will specifically transform software, organisations and IT value creation.

Holger Hürtgen is one of the leading experts in artificial intelligence and data-driven transformation. As a partner at McKinsey & Company and an AI expert at QuantumBlack, he helps companies turn technological possibilities into concrete and scalable applications. At the AI Summit, the former graduate of FH Aachen (where he studied Applied Mathematics) will provide insights into current developments and, drawing on concrete experience from the business world, demonstrate what is needed to ensure that AI does not remain at the experimental stage but is deployed effectively.

Andreas Lezgus, CTO of the Federal Criminal Police Office, has over 45 years’ experience in the public sector and more than 25 years in senior IT and digitalisation roles. Drawing on his background in cybercrime, IT forensics and federal transformation programmes, he is now spearheading the responsible roll-out of AI within one of Germany’s most sensitive and heavily regulated organisations.In his talk, ‘AI at the Federal Criminal Police Office: Making AI effective quickly and responsibly in highly regulated organisations’, he provides practical insights into how AI solutions can be successfully implemented amidst the tensions between innovation, data protection, the rule of law and social acceptance. His focus is on a clear approach: less hype, more implementation. You can look forward to concrete real-world examples, exciting perspectives on the future of AI in organisations, and a speaker who combines technological innovation with pragmatism, strong leadership and a clear vision.

How we unleash our potential – Our world is changing rapidly, and artificial intelligence plays a central role in this. In his inspiring keynote, THE BRAIN, Mark shows how we can use this technology to make our work not only more efficient, but also more human. It’s about far more than just technology. It’s about trust, collaboration and finding joy in our day-to-day work. With humour, vivid examples and fascinating insights from neuroscience, Mark takes his audience on a journey. He shows how we can develop our strengths whilst fully harnessing the opportunities offered by AI.

Prof. Dr Doris Weßels has been exploring for many years how generative AI is transforming education, science and the world of work. As a co-founder of what is now the Centre of Excellence for ‘Artificial Intelligence in Education, Science and the Workplace’, she played a key role in shaping the discourse on AI in higher education from an early stage. Since 2024, she has headed the Generative AI Future Lab at the Schleswig-Holstein AI Application Centre, where she and her team oversee a wide range of projects from the worlds of business, science and education. She is a member of national and international AI committees, a supervisory board member and a sought-after keynote speaker. In 2024 and 2025, *Bildung.Table* ranked her among the top 10 figures in the German-speaking education sector. In her talks, she combines academic expertise with concrete examples of application and explores how the use of AI can be shaped in a competent, responsible and forward-looking manner.

Everyone’s talking about AI, but somehow you seem to have missed the boat when it comes to AI? Or perhaps you don’t (yet) know where to start? No problem! This crash course for non-techies and those who are still sceptical will introduce you to the topic of AI in a simple and easy-to-understand way. From general terminology and functionality right through to actively trying out prompting. Together, we’ll find ways to meaningfully integrate AI into your work at university, answer your questions clearly and address any concerns. Above all, though, we’ll build up plenty of confidence to experiment and carry on independently.