From the high-pressure pump to the spark plug: At Bosch, every product has already been connected to artificial intelligence. This is what the company itself says - and what it means is: The products contain AI or were manufactured with its help.
AI is already present in some form at all Bosch locations - but especially at the one in Stuttgart-Feuerbach. This is where many AI applications are tested before they are rolled out worldwide. Bosch has been working with the US company Microsoft since the beginning of the year.
From the Swabian Feuerbach out into the world
This becomes concrete at the Bosch factory in Feuerbach in the so-called morning round. The shift leader comes together with employees. The AI came into play in advance - in the form of an agent. This is a type of digital assistant that can not only answer questions, but also carry out tasks independently.
This agent is currently being tested in Feuerbach and was created, among other things, from collaboration with Microsoft. The specific agent for the morning round automatically uses data to identify the most important risks in production, evaluates them and provides appropriate recommendations.
The AI not only looks back 24 hours, but also 24 hours forward. According to Bosch, the agent takes work away from the shift leaders. Keyword: increase in productivity.
According to Elisabeth Schwarz, responsible for digitalization in production at the Feuerbach plant, this is already having an effect: the digitally assisted morning round already saves shift leaders eight hours per week compared to the old model. They could invest this in other tasks such as leadership and improvement work.
According to a Bosch spokesman, the collaboration works like this: Microsoft primarily provides the IT and software infrastructure - Bosch provides the data from production.
On the subject of data protection and US dependency, Bosch says: “Data sovereignty remains with Bosch.” A spokesman for the company adds: "Bosch ensures the protection of privacy, the protection of personal data and the security of all business information in all business processes in compliance with legal requirements."
The issue of data security is “extremely important” to Bosch. Bosch also operates plants in the United States, Asia and other parts of Europe. The hurdles lie primarily in regulation. “Europe has relatively strict regulations when it comes to AI applications,” explains the Bosch spokesman:
Bosch also produces its own AI solutions
But Bosch says it also produces its own AI solutions and makes them available to other companies. Several agents have been developed using the “Manufacturing Co-Intelligence” platform that Bosch developed together with Microsoft.
One example is the Shop Floor Agent: According to Bosch, it detects disruptions more quickly, isolates causes and suggests solutions. This helps to noticeably reduce downtimes and documentation effort on the production line.
According to Bosch, this AI is already in use at Sick AG in Villingen-Schwenningen, for example, a global manufacturer of sensors for factories, logistics and automation technology.
Dependencies too great: Has Bosch learned little?
Digital expert Mirko Ross is critical of collaboration between Bosch and Microsoft in the area of artificial intelligence. Among other things, Ross advises companies on cybersecurity. In response to a request from SWR, he writes: "The report suggests that Bosch has learned little or nothing from its experience with operating systems, business applications and the cloud when it comes to dependency."
According to Ross, Microsoft and the US government determine who gets access to powerful AI. "German companies are already disadvantaged by export restrictions, with models of the latest generation or certain functions being withheld or only being able to be used by US companies."
Microsoft already determines the price for using business-critical software through its dominant market position - the same can be expected with artificial intelligence, explains Ross.
AI as a key technology of the future
Ross sees AI as a future key technology that will significantly determine productivity and competitiveness. “Not relying on sovereign solutions here involves considerable risks,” explains Ross.
Ross would like to see German industry invest significantly in European AI solutions. He believes: "The money that Bosch invests with Microsoft would have a significantly better future dividend if invested in European AI models and AI tools."
