Professor Dr. Ute Schmid from the University of Bamberg will be awarded this year's Communicator Award by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Stifterverband. As a member of the Bavarian AI Council contributes to setting strategic impulses for the responsible use of AI in the Free State. The DFG jury recognizes her as an influential voice in AI communication in Germany – and as a bridge builder between science, education, business, and politics.

Since the 1990s, Schmid has been committed to making artificial intelligence understandable and contextualizing its societal impacts. Long before AI found widespread application, she laid important foundations for a nuanced public debate.

Schmid's approach goes beyond the purely technical perspective. The focus is on the question of how AI changes people's lives and coexistence in society. The aim of her work is to enable participation and convey AI as a designable task.

This attitude also shapes their diverse communication formats. Whether it's elementary schools or small and medium-sized enterprises, politics or science, Schmid specifically develops offerings for different target groups.

Broad engagement from education to small and medium-sized enterprises

A focus is in the education sector: With training for teachers and formats like the online course "Data Literacy," it promotes early competencies in dealing with AI. Analog approaches also play a role, such as a learning game on machine learning for elementary school students.

The textbook "Künstliche Intelligenz selber programmieren" was created for young people, providing a clear understanding of the basics and offering practical insights into the implementation of AI algorithms.

Furthermore, Schmid specifically targets small and medium-sized enterprises. With the SME AI Experience Center, funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, she provides practical insights into the use of AI in production processes – including a demonstration environment with robotics and sensors.

Award for Effective Science Communication

The Communicator Award is endowed with 50,000 euros and is considered the most important award for science communication in Germany. It is awarded to researchers who effectively and appropriately bring their topics to the public.

With the award to Ute Schmid, a scientist is honored who has been actively shaping the discourse on Artificial Intelligence for decades—fact-based, accessible, and with a view to the societal challenges of the technology.