The 2nd Transformation Forum of the Platform Industry 4.0 focused on how Security & Safety and the Triple Transformation interact. Helmut Leopold (AIT), Isabell Claus (Thinkers.ai), and Adrian Pinter (Siemens) analyzed the challenges of digital transformation from technological, economic, and societal perspectives.
Digitalization as a Societal Task
At the 2nd Transformation Forum, Helmut Leopold (AIT), Isabell Claus (Thinkers.ai), and Adrian Pinter (Siemens) discussed the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation. They showed that digitalization is not just a technical issue, but fundamentally changes processes, power structures, and societal dynamics. Their contributions made it clear: Sovereignty, resilience, and responsible design are crucial for actively shaping the digital future.
Digitalization as Societal Change
Helmut Leopold emphasized that digitalization is not just about technology, but upends work environments, economic structures, and societal power relations. A central problem is that many companies misunderstand digitalization as a purely IT issue—such as buying software or hardware. In reality, it involves profound changes in processes, responsibilities, and skills.
A particularly critical issue is the loss of traditional professions due to AI. Leopold asked provocatively: “If basic skills are replaced by AI, who will train the experts of tomorrow?” At the same time, power structures are changing: Those who control data and technologies gain influence, while others lose relevance. This leads to resistance and blockades that hinder digital transformation.
Another focus was on the crisis of truth in the digital age. The internet, once celebrated as a “liberation technology,” has become the largest disinformation platform. Leopold warned: “If nothing can be recognized as true anymore, the internet loses its societal value.” Hybrid threats—combining cyberattacks, disinformation, and physical attacks—endanger not only companies but entire democracies.
For Leopold, cybersecurity is a prerequisite for a functioning digital society. He advocated for “Security by Design“—security integrated into systems from the outset—and European solutions to regain data sovereignty. Austria is already a pioneer with projects like the Fake Shop Detector and cybersecurity training for critical infrastructures. But the biggest challenge remains: “Only a few global platforms control 70–80% of all data. We must not allow a few actors to decide the future.”
AI, Economic Power, and the Need for Leadership
Isabell Claus analyzed how artificial intelligence (AI) enables new business models—and simultaneously requires fundamental changes in companies and society. She referred to examples where companies grew from one million to 100 million euros in revenue within months. But many fail due to a lack of vision, insufficient AI expertise in management, and rigid structures.
Claus emphasized: “Those who don’t understand AI will be left behind.” A culture of adaptability, where humans and AI systems collaborate, is essential. At the same time, cybersecurity is not just an IT issue, but an economic factor. Hybrid threats and disinformation are societal risks that 99% of companies are unprepared for. Claus called for more awareness and education—from schools to executives—as well as European sovereignty: “We must regain data sovereignty and technological independence, or we will lose not only markets but also geopolitical influence.”
Industrial Digitalization and the Urgency of Cybersecurity
Adrian Pinter also made it clear that cybersecurity in the industrial context is not an option, but a question of survival. Modern products—from cars to medical technology—are now “computers on wheels,” whose networking and complexity create new risks. Pinter criticized: “In the past, an engineer still understood their entire system. Today, no one does.”
An alarming example: Cybercrime, with an estimated revenue of over 10 trillion dollars (2028), has surpassed the economic power of Germany and Japan combined. This shows how urgently industrial cybersecurity is needed.
Siemens relies on the “Industrial Metaverse“—a digital representation of physical systems that minimizes risks through AI, digital twins, and real-time data. For those looking to improve their cybersecurity, Pinter presented a five-phase plan. This includes first an assessment (Where do I stand?), then the identification of critical assets (What do I need to protect?), the implementation of protective measures (e.g., Security by Design), threat detection (through AI-supported monitoring tools), a plan for the event of an attack, and finally continuous improvement (“Cybersecurity is not a project, but a process”).
Summary: Three Perspectives—One Message
The three presentations showed: Digitalization is not automatic. It requires societal debates on how we want to live and work, strategic foresight on how we can remain economically and technologically sovereign, and consistent action on how we protect ourselves from the risks of networking.
The shared core message of the three speakers is:
- Security and sovereignty are not an option, but an obligation.
- Education, collaboration, and innovation must go hand in hand.
- “Continuing as before” is not a strategy—those who do not invest today will pay the price tomorrow.
Note: The information processing (transcription, summarization) was carried out using AI. The final version was manually checked and editorially revised.
The event was funded by the Interreg project Twin City Future Innovation Manufacturing Hub.
