With the AI Impact Award, manager magazin and Porsche Consulting jointly honor impactful, real‑world AI solutions in industry. In this short interview, Dr. Annika von Mutius, co‑founder and CEO of Empion, explains what sets the award apart, how companies can approach the topic of AI, and how research transfer fuels Europe’s innovative strength.
How important is artificial intelligence for companies in the DACH region today?
AI systems present a major opportunity – provided they are consistently put into practice. To achieve this, we need to focus on our core strengths: integrating high‑performance AI systems with the established economy. Transforming our proven business models offers significant potential, especially for intellectually demanding work, and places us in a strong position compared to the large language models emerging from the United States or China. Right now, it is crucial to shape public discourse in a positive way and make the societal value of AI visible. The AI Impact Award sends a strong signal in this direction – it gives innovation a stage and encourages organizations to actively deploy AI systems.
How should companies approach AI when they are just starting out?
Companies should see AI first and foremost as an opportunity. AI is not a competitor but a powerful partner that – for example, in the case of generative systems – offers access to the collective experiential knowledge of humanity. Yet in our society, we often focus initially on potential risks instead of highlighting the efficiency and quality gains that innovation can deliver. Even as the co‑founder of an AI company, I see that AI‑driven change can trigger uncertainty or be underestimated. Many of these concerns, however, are easy to address. At the same time, implementing AI systems is often simpler than expected: many AI tools, especially B2B applications, operate in the background and integrate seamlessly into existing processes – without additional strategic effort or specialized expertise within the workforce.
As a member of the AI Impact Award jury, what do you look for in particular?
What matters most is that projects demonstrate clear, tangible value in day‑to‑day business. It is important to differentiate: some projects have an immediate impact, while others show their strength only over the long term. Research transfer is a crucial driver of Europe’s innovative capacity. We recently published a study together with Redstone and RWTH Aachen showing that research transfer could increase Europe’s economic value by up to seven trillion euros. I founded Empion through a classic research transfer and know from experience how wide the gap between research and company creation can be. That is why I am particularly impressed by projects that master this transition and transform scientific insights into real economic and societal value.