AI does not replace the crystal ball on the evolution of Digital Twins

As you know, I have a new friend. Its name is ChatGPT . When I need a concise summary, a few pros and cons or AI’s perspective on a topic, I just ask ChatGPT. So recently, I asked ChatGPT ‘Why should operators of factories ask for industrial digital twins?’.?The answer was that

“Operators of factories may want to consider using industrial digital twins for a number of reasons. Some potential benefits of using digital twins for factory operations include:

• Improved efficiency: Digital twins can be used to simulate the performance of a factory under different conditions and to identify bottlenecks and other issues that may be impacting efficiency. By optimizing the factory's operations, digital twins can help increase productivity and reduce costs.
• Enhanced maintenance and repair: Digital twins can be used to monitor the performance of factory equipment in real time and detect potential issues before they occur. This can help reduce the frequency of breakdowns and improve the effectiveness of maintenance and repair efforts.
• Increased safety: Digital twins can be used to identify potential safety hazards and to test different scenarios to determine the best course of action. This can help reduce the risk of accidents and injuries in the factory.
• Enhanced collaboration and communication: Digital twins can be shared with multiple stakeholders, allowing for more effective collaboration and communication among team members. This can help to ensure that all parties are working towards the same goals and that any issues or concerns are addressed in a timely manner.

Overall, the use of industrial digital twins can help factory operators to improve the efficiency, reliability, safety, and collaboration of their operations.“

There we are – plain and simple! This is the reason why we are all investing so much time, energy, and money into the creation of the digital twins, the asset administration shell, the definition of sub-models, or the topic of interoperability and compatibility. We want to see the benefits of these Industrial Digital Twins. I think that we are on our way, but we still have a way to go!

But ChatGPT’s answer potentially also shows the weakness of AI, which seems to base its answer only on the past, and the most dominant and loudest voices. Ask ChatGPT “Why should?I?be asking for digital twins?” and you get almost the same answer as above. But what about the digital twins of humans in health care, the digital twin of a swarm of motorists, the digital twin of a building and more. Artificial Intelligence bases its answers on what is known and what is dominant thinking. While AI is hugely innovative in itself, we should not depend on it as our crystal ball to predict the future.

The work at the IDTA - Industrial Digital Twin Association most certainly looks beyond the classic use cases for Digital Twins. Those classic use cases were inspired the outfitters of factories, plants and automated warehouses. The collaboration which Catena-X very quickly raised the applicability of the AAS to challenges of the circular economy, especially for the vehicle battery. We still have a lot of work to do – the digital twin of vehicles or buildings is another frontier, and the application of the Asset Administration Shell concept in these situations will keep us even busier than ever before.

As I moved to my next phase in life,?I recently resigned from the board of the Industrial Digital Twin Association. Created in 2020, it now is an organization with lots of members, and even more energy. I am proud of my contribution. A lot has been achieved by members, the management team, and the board. But there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. And the proliferation of digital twins requires us to think about letting the AAS free. It needs to spread its wings and fly beyond the confines of factories and industrial machines.??What about cars and buildings – the EU will require them to have a Digital Product Passport too! The challenges arising more sustainability, better sovereignty and necessary interoperability will increase the need for information (and not just data) exchange. And this is where the AAS will shine.?

I wish the management team of Dr. Christian Mosch and Meik Billmann clean sailing as they embrace the thought leadership emerging from the Plattform Industrie 4.0 , Open Industry 4.0 Alliance , Catena-X , Manufacturing-X, the OPC Foundation, ECLASS e.V. and Gaia-X Association for Data and Cloud (AISBL) into their work. Furthermore, I would like congratulate Erich Clauer to his election as the SAP representative and my successor in the board of the Industrial Digital Twin Association. Furthermore, I wish Matthias B?lke ( 施耐德电气 ) as he – together with Karsten Schneider ( 西门子 ) and Dr. Horst Heinol ( ASENTICS ) - skillfully navigates the association from nowhere in 2020 to future greatness. Lastly, a big ‘Thank you’ also goes out to my fellow board members – Burkhard Balz ( Lenze ), Dr. Birgit Boss ( Bosch ), Ernst Esslinger ( HOMAG ), Michael Hoffmeister ( Festo ), Gunther Koschnick ( ZVEI e. V. ), Wolfgang Mayer ( KUKA ), Andreas Orzelski ( Phoenix Contact ), Hartmut Rauen ( VDMA ) and Dr. Dirk Thieme ( 大众 ).

This is not a farewell or goodbye! I look forward to what is yet to come from this energetic, diverse, and smart set of members. And maybe one day there will be a membership category for people like myself!

P.S. For those of you wondering about the sense (or non-sense) of this article, you may want to investigate the work that is being done at the IDTA - Industrial Digital Twin Association .