B52.day – Future-ready with AI and data

At B52.day on 5 November, everything revolved around one question: How can AI and data help us meet growing cost pressure with greater efficiency? A look back at an evening full of inspiration.

Rising costs, stagnating sales and an administrative workload that grows year after year: many companies are familiar with this development. That is why this year's B52.day focused on a key question that could hardly be more relevant: “How can AI and data help us meet growing cost pressure with greater efficiency?” Together with Prof. Dr. Sigurd Schacht, Reinis Vicups and Dr. Eugen Hertel, we looked for answers at the B52 in Hagen. We discussed practical examples and explored how AI agents are already changing the way we work.

Key takeaways

The potential lies in the office. Production is more than 90 percent automated, while the business processes behind it are less than 20 percent automated. This is where the biggest gains can be made.

A copilot answers, an agent acts. AI agents already handle multi-step tasks on their own. People take on the role of quality controllers and decision-makers.

Rethinking processes. Applying AI to old workflows makes them faster, but not better. What makes the difference is a company's own knowledge, not the AI model.

Software is becoming a commodity. Applications that used to take weeks or months can now be built in minutes or days. With clear rules and approvals, people remain in charge.

What should stay with you after this evening?

We asked our speakers this question at the end of the evening:

Prof. Dr. Sigurd Schacht: “Stay curious.”
Reinis Vicups: “Software is a commodity.”
Dr. Eugen Hertel: “We have to be like children.”

After the presentations, the conversation continued in person. Over good food, our guests shared their impressions, developed ideas further and had many interesting expert discussions. An inspiring evening came to a close in a relaxed atmosphere. Many thanks to our speakers and all our guests. We are already looking forward to the next B52.day!