AI in the German Democratic Republic

Artificial Intelligence has not only experienced a dramatic growth in West Germany, but also to a certain extent in the German Democratic Republic. Some research institutions, such as the Academy of Sciences of the GDR and VEB Robotron, have been working in the area of AI since as long ago as the early or mid-seventies. Many of their results are also known in the West, e.g. through the Automated Language Analysis congresses that are commonly held every two years. In the last few years, a great number of AI activities at other places have joined these “classic” research institutions. In addition, a form of research on a GDR-wide basis has recently come to the fore. During a lecture tour to most of the relevant AI institutions, I had the opportunity to learn about the state-of-the-art of AI research in East Germany. The following report is certainly not exhaustive, but it covers the major current AI activities in this country. The details of individual research projects cannot be given, but the individual scientists to whom I refer will probably supply more information.