For the past 10 years, Kiel Digital Week has been bringing together a wide variety of people to discuss digitalization, its opportunities, and its risks—and for us, it’s always a week of that San Francisco vibe right here in Kiel. It’s a place where people who are curious, eager to exchange ideas, share their knowledge, and create something new together come together.

We are happy to support this spirit with our San Francisco Evening and new ideas from Silicon Valley in the areas of technology, research, and entrepreneurial spirit.

Thomas Schulz—a reporter for SPIEGEL’s editorial board, a longtime correspondent in Silicon Valley, and an author—provided us with plenty of material on May 5 and showed us

Longevity is more than just a lifestyle topic

• The goal is to extend healthy life expectancy—and with it, personal, social, and economic opportunities. Even just one additional year of good health could mean a 1.3 percent increase in GDP each year.
• CRISPR—a molecular biology tool that allows for the targeted modification of genetic material, for example to better study diseases or to treat them more effectively in the future—is a prime example of how quickly research is being put into practice today.
• What’s particularly exciting is that the same basic technological concept serves as the foundation for a wide variety of applications, ranging from autonomous vehicles to AI-powered skin cancer detection. Systems learn to recognize relevant patterns from large numbers of images and use them to make reliable assessments. Technologies migrate between industries—and can thus have entirely new impacts.
• However, innovation doesn't just happen on its own. Silicon Valley's success is based on talent, capital, expertise, speed, networks—and people who are willing to take risks.

In the panel discussion that followed, Kathrin Reinicke brought together Thomas Schulz, Doris Weßels, Anna Dornberger, and Oliver Schramm to share different perspectives: What is the current situation amid AI hype, geopolitical uncertainty, and rapid advances in research and medicine? What can we learn from Silicon Valley? And what opportunities will arise for Germany and Europe if we integrate science, business, and implementation more consistently?

The bottom line: It’s not about copying Silicon Valley. It’s about confidently leveraging your own strengths—and turning good ideas into good applications.

Photos: Kiel Digital Week / Jan Konitzki, The Bay Areas