On September 25, 2025, the event “KI.Produktiv 2025 –Potentiale.Verstehen.Umsetzen.” took place at the congress center Darmstadtium in the heart of Darmstadt. Organized by the Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Darmstadt, numerous representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) came together to discuss the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) for the economy.

As a consortium partner in the project, the Institute for Ergonomics & Human Factors (IAD) was naturally involved. One of the many highlights was the first presentation of the demonstrator for change management in the introduction of AI, developed at the IAD. The demonstrator makes the often complex processes of organizational change playful and physically tangible. This provides representatives of SMEs with a practical tool to not only understand change management in theory, but also to experience it firsthand.

The event focused on transferring scientific findings into business practice. In particular, we sought dialogue with medium-sized companies: What obstacles exist, how can employees be involved, and what strategies enable the sustainable introduction of AI solutions?

In addition to demonstrators, visitors were able to attend a keynote speech on large language models (llms), a panel discussion, and three tracks with presentations on llms and their practical applications. Cross-cutting topics such as law, security, and change management were also addressed. Here, the IAD contributed a presentation on the links between change management and the introduction of AI systems in companies. Finally, all visitors had the opportunity to take guided tours of institutes and factories on the Lichtwiese Campus.

Thank you to all visitors and organizers for this eventful day and productive exchange.