On May 28, 2026, the official kickoff event for the "AI for SMEs on the Lower Rhine" (KI für KMU am Niederrhein) initiative took place. The Chair of Information Systems, Digital Innovation and Performance Management was actively involved, with Professor Dr. Frederik Ahlemann delivering one of the four core keynote presentations.

The event attracted nearly 100 guests, including representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises, regional partners, and multipliers. Following the expert presentations, a joint discussion round highlighted both the immense regional interest in Artificial Intelligence and the practical challenges SMEs still face when implementing these technologies.

To demonstrate immediate, practical applications of AI in business, Falco Korn, who is also part of the project team, showed how live survey data can be transformed into a complete, polished presentation within minutes to dynamically support moderated discussions.

Our Chair will continue to support regional businesses in addressing their open questions through an upcoming series of dedicated workshops starting this September. Registration for these sessions will open soon.

For those looking to connect earlier, the "Business beim Brötchen: KI-Café" will take place this July, offering an informal platform for networking and exchange. More information and registration details are available at: https://www.b2match.com/e/business-beim-brotchen-ki-cafe.