Deep fakes, disinformation, polarization - on the one hand. Rapid progress in science, research and medicine - on the other. Digital technologies are fundamentally changing our society. AI has long been part of our everyday lives and the big players are based in Silicon Valley.
This is precisely where Richard Gutjahr has been observing a countermovement for some time: People are consciously opting out. Offline times, analog interaction - everything is more important again.

In his presentation at our Digital Week event, Gutjahr made it very clear what it's all about: not simply accepting the manipulative aspects of digital development. Stay awake. Don't go along with everything. And certainly not give away your own data so that it can be used to train AI systems that we can no longer control.

At the same time, the technology is there - and offers enormous potential. Looking away is useless. "Get on the road. Try it out, learn," Gutjahr called out at the InnoPier, "when in life do we have the chance to start from scratch together with everyone else?"

Using Taylor Swift as an example, he shows what the balancing act can look like: Streaming and social media on the one hand, real encounters, concerts and closeness on the other. Trust is created offline.

For Gutjahr, this trust is the new currency. Personal relationships and direct discussions - almost like in the salon culture of the past - are becoming more important again. "We are also experiencing this in discussions with our contacts and partners in San Francisco and the Valley," confirmed TBA board member Kristin Asmussen, "Being able to look at different perspectives helps enormously in being able to assess situations better. "

And that's exactly what it was all about afterwards: exchanging ideas. In person. With a view over Kiel.