Making AI tangible: SMEs meet AI talent

How can the AI Service Center Berlin-Brandenburg (AISC) effectively connect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with students, graduates, and startups with AI expertise to jointly develop customized AI solutions? The task for the student team was to develop a concept for an AI transfer lab that makes knowledge accessible, enables collaboration, and helps to get AI solutions into use faster – especially for those who have had little exposure to AI so far.

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic – and yet much of its potential remains untapped. SMEs often want to boost their efficiency with AI, but don't know where to start. At the same time, there are students and startups hungry for real challenges but with no direct access to real-world projects. The AISC wants to close this gap – but what would an effective, low-threshold, and sustainable approach to bringing both groups together look like?

Particularly challenging: SMEs are skeptical, uncertain, and unclear about the benefits and entry points. On the AI professionals' side, there is often a lack of real-life use cases or infrastructure to implement their ideas.

The team of students from the HPI d-school started with in-depth research and numerous interviews with representatives from NGOs, public administration, startups and SMEs. It quickly became clear that more is needed than just technical infrastructure – it takes trust, visibility, low-threshold access and very concrete examples.

Through intensive co-design sessions with students, startups and SMEs, the team developed two central building blocks:

1. The AI-Collaboration Lab – a space (physical and digital) where AI students can encounter real-world problems faced by SMEs, register, select suitable projects and develop solutions together with partner companies. It has everything from a project library and matchmaking to a Wall of Success with best practices.
2. The KISZbot – an interactive AI chatbot that helps SMEs identify their own needs. It provides initial analyses in a way that is both empathetic and informative, and connects potential partners with suitable experts.

The co-design sessions not only led to concrete prototypes, but also to a deeper understanding of the wishes and concerns of both sides – such as the desire for human support, clear communication, protection of sensitive data, and the need for personal motivation.

The concepts of the AI Collaboration Lab and KISZbot were enthusiastically received by project partners and are being incorporated into the strategic development of the AI Service Center (AISC). They offer a concrete vision of what collaboration between science, startups and SMEs can look like in the future – low-threshold, trusting and impact-oriented.

The team's work is helping to advance the democratization of AI and to sustainably strengthen the innovative power of small and medium-sized companies in Germany. At the same time, new learning and innovation spaces are emerging for students who can apply their skills in a practical way – a real win-win-win situation for business, science, and society.