KI-Kompass Inklusiv: Competence Centre on Artificial Intelligence and Inclusion in the World of Work Launched

Digitisation and AI offer new possibilities for assistance in working and learning and in overcoming everyday barriers.

In the predecessor project "KI.ASSIST - Assistance Services and Artificial Intelligence for People with Severe Disabilities in Vocational Rehabilitation" (2019-2022), valuable insights into the support options for people with disabilities through AI could already be gathered.  They are the basis and starting point for the work in the new project "KI-Kompass Inklusiv". The competence centre consists of three pillars

• In a so-called monitoring, a database on AI-supported assistance technologies for people with disabilities is being established.
• A variety of information, counselling and training services are being developed and offered for people with disabilities, as well as for vocational rehabilitation institutions, companies and other interested parties.
• Sustainable AI-supported solutions for the inclusive design of work and learning processes are tested, researched, and developed in practical laboratories. The project "KI-Kompass Inklusiv" is characterised by the fact that people with disabilities will be actively involved in all three pillars. Accessibility and ethical principles are systematically observed across all project activities.

The competence centre is thus ideally positioned to contribute to the inclusion of people with disabilities through AI. At the same time, the knowledge gained will be incorporated into research and practice in the fields of inclusion and artificial intelligence.

The German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the project partners Bundesverband Deutscher Berufsförderungswerke (BV BFW), the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Berufsbildungswerke (BAG BBW) and the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Werkstätten für behinderte Menschen (BAG WfbM) are setting up the "Competence Centre for AI-supported Assistance Technologies and Inclusion in the World of Work" until 2027. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) from the equalisation fund. The total funding amounts to approx. 6 million euros.