For Wolf Matthias Mang, artificial intelligence is part of everyday business - from optimizing running shoes and helmets for the professionals of the National Football League to predictive maintenance of protective covers for machine tools.

“At our locations in Germany and China, we operate what is probably the largest 3D printing fleet in the world.

There's a lot of AI in there," says Mang, Managing Director of Arno Arnold GmbH in Obertshausen, Hesse, and also Chairman of the Supervisory Board of OECHSLER AG, in the FAZ podcast "Artificial Intelligence".

With the help of technology, the design of the football helmets is individually adapted in order to optimally protect the professional athletes.

The same principle – collecting and processing data from many athletes – is also used to produce the perfect soles for Adidas running shoes.

For Mang, AI is one of the keys to the development of Industry 4.0: "74 percent of our members see great potential in artificial intelligence".

For the entrepreneur, who is also CEO of Hessenmetall and President of the Hessian business associations, AI is not a sprint, because so far only 19 percent are using AI productively.

"The complexity of Industry 4.0 is underestimated," says Mang.

He finds the fear of a technology that makes Jobs superfluous unjustified.

“Of course, AI does people’s jobs, but it doesn’t take away jobs.

80 percent of jobs will change with digitization.

It is crucial that people learn to use this extended workbench”.

The episode is part of our podcast "Artificial Intelligence".

He explores the questions of what AI can do, where it is used, what it has already changed and what contribution it can make in the future.

With Peter Buxmann and Holger Schmidt, the FAZ brought two proven AI experts on board for the podcast: Both research and teach the potential of AI and its effects on the economy and work at the Technical University of Darmstadt.

Peter Buxmann holds the chair for business informatics and has been dealing with the applications of AI, digital transformation and data-based business models for many years.

His podcast partner Holger Schmidt is a digital economist, speaker and author.

His core topics are AI, platform economy and digital business models.

In each episode, the two hosts take up a new aspect of artificial intelligence, explain connections and provide precise classifications.

The episodes are around thirty minutes long and appear monthly on the first Monday.