Three Questions for Dr. Corina Apachite
Program Head Artificial Intelligence and Data bei Continental Automotive
How is Continental positioned in terms of personnel and organization to capitalize on the future opportunities of AI?
For some time now, Continental has been developing its own AI ecosystem to take advantage of the huge opportunities this technology offers for future mobility and to meet the requirements of megatrends such as automated driving, connectivity, electrification and shared mobility. For two years now, Continental has had its own AI lab in Berlin. Here – as well as at locations in Frankfurt am Main, Regensburg, Budapest and Singapore – AI experts from different group sectors work on technologies such as computer vision 1, hybrid AI2 and automated data labeling3 and develop applications for autonomous driving and robotics. The location in Germany’s capital is a decisive strategic measure to consolidate and align the company’s diverse AI expertise. The focus of its research activities is on innovative AI technologies for future mobility solutions.
Why Berlin?
After carefully examining all AI hubs in Europe, we came to the conclusion that Berlin has by far the best ecosystem for start-ups. With its history, culture, diversity and laboratory infrastructure, the city is highly attractive to anyone involved in AI, from start-ups and research institutes to investors and technology companies – and boasts a large pool of young and motivated AI talent.
AI experts are in short supply. How does Continental find the staff it needs?
At Continental, we believe practically all employees should be competent in AI in order to improve productivity through AI automation and enhance data-driven decision-making. We therefore offer self-training courses on artificial intelligence through our software academy, for example, which have been attended by 28,000 employees to date. We currently employ around 1,200 AI experts and aim to increase this number in the coming years. We also work closely with a number of renowned universities and manufacturers. Here, too, the AI campus in Berlin plays an important role, connecting the European AI community and enabling Continental to benefit from the interaction and cross-collaboration.
1AI application that derives meaningful information from digital images, videos and other visual inputs.
2Combination of human and artificial intelligence.
3Labeling of data to enable AI-based machine learning programs to better understand its significance and therefore improve machine training.
As head of the AI department within Continental Automotive Technologies, Dr. Corina Apachite is helping to shaping the future of mobility. Her work at Continental focuses on artificial intelligence – a passion that she discovered in her computer science studies. To find out more, watch her heartbeat story.
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