Scientific conferences, Transfer of Science or Research

The controversial nature of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in water management was clear at the BLUE PLANET Berlin Water Dialogues, which took place online on November 22, 2022. Data quality and privacy, the challenges of implementing AI applications, and contributions of AI to increasing climate resilience were critically examined by high-profile international speakers: this year's conference - Artificial Intelligence: Reshaping the Water Industry - attracted interested parties from research, the water industry and policy communities alike.

The BLUE PLANET Berlin Water Dialogues are supported by the Export Initiative for Environmental Protection − GreenTech "Made in Germany" of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), and the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises (SenWEB).

635 registered participants from 73 countries were eager to learn about Artificial Intelligence: Reshaping the Water Industry. The event series built upon the success of previous years’ events. "Not least thanks to the continuous support of the BMUV and the Berlin Senate, the BLUE PLANET Berlin Water Dialogues have developed into an international format with great appeal, a platform that brings German and Berlin projects, companies and initiatives to international visibility and connectivity. The renewed registration of more than 600 participants from all over the world shows this impressively", says Julia Braune, Managing Director of German Water Partnership e.V. and member of the advisory board of the event series. Stefan Tidow, State Secretary of BMUV, who provided the conference’s opening remarks, also emphasized the high global relevance that BLUE PLANET has acquired in recent years.

In 2022, the program was once again full of top-class speakers who looked at the many possible applications of AI in the water sector and the challenges which must be overcome when moving from research to application. Highlights included presentations by Sella Nevo of the Google Flood Forecasting Initiative, Nicolas Zimmer of the Technologiestiftung Berlin, and the joint keynote by Prof. Dr. Andrea Cominola of the Technische Universität Berlin and Dr. Riccardo Taormina of the Delft University of Technology, as well as the contribution of Dr. Newsha Ajami from Berkeley Lab's Earth & Environmental Sciences.

All talks and sessions can be viewed online free of charge on BLUE PLANET’s website: https://blueplanetberlin.de/review-artificial-intelligence/

Conference participants gained insights into innovative application examples, projects and technologies from Germany, Spain, the USA, the Netherlands and the UK. The multimedia online event platform enabled international networking before, during and after the event.

The digital event was offered in English and was free of charge for participants. For more information on the BLUE PLANET Berlin Water Dialogues, please visit www.blueplanetberlin.de and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About BLUE PLANET Berlin Water Dialogues

With the BLUE PLANET Berlin Water Dialogues, a qualified English-speaking forum for the exchange of knowledge, ideas, concepts and experiences between politics, water management, scientists and non-governmental organizations has been established in recent years. Here, global challenges are discussed and German and international competencies and approaches to solutions are presented and promoted. The focus is on promoting synergies in research and development between companies and scientific institutions in a sustainable manner. This encourages practical innovations, such as resource-efficient technologies, sustainable development, and artificial intelligence, to be adapted for water management or environmental protection. BLUE PLANET Berlin Water Dialogues 2022 were organized by Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin gGmbH and German Water Partnership e.V., together with the Berlin based consulting firms T-Base Consulting GmbH and eclareon GmbH.

Further information on the BMUV Export Initiative for Environmental Protection funding program is available at www.exportinitiative-umweltschutz.de.