Article “AI - But Human” - Steffen Reithermann of the AI Alliance Rhineland-Palatinate in RZ WIRTSCHAFT

• Prof. Dr. Marius Kloft
  
  
  

  Article “AI - But Human”: AI Alliance Rhineland-Palatinate in RZ WIRTSCHAFT

  How is artificial intelligence changing our world of work? What tasks can it take on,
  and where do human skills and responsibility remain indispensable?

  The business section of the Rhein-Zeitung devotes a three-page feature to these questions in its current October/November 2026 issue.
  The AI Alliance Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as companies and AI experts from the region, share their perspectives.
  Under the headline “AI - But Human,” editor Gudrun Katharina Heurich examines the opportunities and challenges of the increasing use of AI in business practice.
  It becomes clear that AI can significantly streamline work processes, make knowledge accessible, and open up new possibilities.
  At the same time, human judgment, experience, creativity, collaboration, and a sense of responsibility remain of central importance.

  AI as a Tool - Humans Bear the Responsibility

  Steffen Reithermann, Managing Director of the AI Project Office of the AI Alliance Rhineland-Palatinate at the RPTU in Kaiserslautern, explains in an interview
  why the goal should not be to pit humans against machines, but rather to meaningfully combine their respective strengths.
  It is particularly crucial that people not only formally review AI results, but can actually understand them, evaluate them critically, and reject them if necessary.
  This requires the appropriate skills, suitable framework conditions, and clear responsibilities.

  Practical Examples from Rhineland-Palatinate

  Other interviewees demonstrate how this collaboration is already working in everyday business life:
  The Schumacher Group from Eichelhardt, Energieversorgung Mittelrhein (evm) from Koblenz, and AI experts Schmehrer and Bär from Andernach
  report on specific applications and their experiences with the introduction of AI.
  These examples illustrate that AI does not necessarily replace entire job roles, but rather transforms tasks, simplifies routines, and creates new opportunities for skilled work.
  This requires a transparent implementation process, as well as the active involvement and ongoing training of employees.

  Linking Expertise and Putting AI into Practice

  For Rhineland-Palatinate, the key now is to link existing expertise from academia and industry even more closely.
  Small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular, need low-threshold access to AI technologies, practical testing opportunities, and appropriate training programs.
  This is where the AI Alliance Rhineland-Palatinate comes in: It brings together the AI expertise of the state’s four universities and seven universities of applied sciences
  and supports the exchange as well as the transfer of knowledge and technology between research, industry, and society.

  We would like to thank Gudrun Katharina Heurich and the editorial team at RZ WIRTSCHAFT for their detailed and well-researched coverage.

  Source: RZ WIRTSCHAFT – The business newspaper of the Rhein-Zeitung, Issue 05/2026 (October/November 2026), pages 30–32, “AI - But Human,” by Gudrun Heurich.
  https://rz-forum.de/collections/wirtschaft

  
  
  

  Introduction to the Article

  
  
  https://lnkd.in/p/ewtuzPP2
  
  31.10.2026