by Xinhua writer Chu Yi

HANNOVER, Germany, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Artificial Intelligence (AI) can become man's best friend in the industrial world in the new era of human-machine collaboration, a senior official at Siemens has said.

In an interview with Xinhua at the Hannover Messe 2024, Germany's leading annual industrial trade fair that concluded on Friday, Cedrik Neike, a member of the managing board of Siemens AG and CEO of Siemens Digital Industries, shared his views on AI while commending China's important role as one of Siemens' key markets.

"AI helps us relieve ourselves from monotonous tasks so that we can concentrate on what is important. It helps us discover errors and find better solutions much faster," he said. "AI has the potential to give people without technical know-how the chance to bring up their ideas. It's about building smarter applications with just a few clicks."

As to concerns regarding AI's potential to replace human jobs, Neike struck an optimistic note. "The fact is that due to demographic changes, we have fewer and fewer workers in our factories. AI can help us release productive forces," he said.

Neike also highlighted AI's role in creating employment opportunities. "If you visit our job portal today, you will find job titles like 'AI Engineer.' These jobs didn't exist 15 years ago."

Envisioning a future where AI can amplify human potential, Neike is convinced that thanks to AI, people will be able to concentrate much more on developing ideas, thus improving products and productivity. "This will accelerate in the coming years."

During the interview, Neike underscored the significance of the Chinese market, saying China remains one of Siemens' "key markets and crucial production and research hubs."

Aimed at "boosting capacity to meet China's growing demand for digitalization technology," Siemens' recent investment of 1.1 billion yuan (151.9 million U.S. dollars) in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu marks the establishment of Siemens' premier digital factory outside Germany. "We are ramping up local R&D to address China's digital and green initiatives," he said.

Neike told Xinhua that China is an innovation incubator for Siemens. "As the digital economy drives global growth, China's position is critical and presents opportunities for multinational companies like Siemens," he added. Enditem

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