I started to write this more than one week ago, but further events made me postpone it. Because of the delay and of the other disturbing international evolutions, I have lost my impetus, so I’ll be much more succinct than I intended to.

Hannover 2025 and Herr Busch

Xinhua: Hannover Messe opens with spotlight on industrial AI:

HANNOVER, Germany, March 31 (Xinhua) — Hannover Messe 2025, Germany’s leading industrial trade fair, opened on Monday with a strong focus on industrial artificial intelligence (AI), highlighting the technology’s transformative role in shaping the future of manufacturing.

Held under the theme “energizing a sustainable industry,” the five-day event has drawn more than 3,800 exhibitors from around 60 countries and regions. Chinese companies make up a significant portion of participants, with around 1,000 exhibitors, making China the second-largest exhibitor group after host country Germany, according to the organizer.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on Sunday evening, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed the importance of technological innovation and sovereignty, particularly in fields such as AI, e-mobility, clean energy, and robotics.

However, Scholz also warned of growing challenges to global progress. Rising geopolitical tensions, trade barriers, and protectionist measures — including tariffs imposed by the United States — are disrupting global trade and slowing technological development.

“More uncertainty, more unpredictability, more tariffs, more fragmentation — this is not good news for most companies,” Scholz said. He urged for stronger international cooperation to drive innovation, noting that “technological advancements are more successful when we collaborate across sectors, disciplines, and countries.”

Now in its nearly 80th year, Hannover Messe has long served as a key platform for showcasing cutting-edge industrial technology. This year, industrial AI takes center stage, reflecting its growing influence on manufacturing and automation.

Beyond AI, the fair also features emerging industries such as digital platforms, electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, hydrogen fuel cells, and quantum technology.

Siemens AG CEO Roland Busch echoed the emphasis on AI, calling for its deep integration into core industrial operations. “AI and data-driven technologies should not just be added to existing processes,” he said. “They must be embedded into the heart of products, software, and business models to realize their full potential.”

Now, I don’t need to rely on the Chinese to tell me what’s going on here. Also, the problem I see is not that China is so aggressively pushing its technology; it’s what Herr Busch actually said. The Chinese made it sound softer and more reasonable than it was.

Here’s a public LinkedIn post by our beloved Siemens CEO (I stripped the intro and the outro):

I wanted to recap a few key messages from my opening speech:

1) The world is transforming massively right now and at record speed. The operating system of the world is outdated, and perhaps no other economy is impacted more than Germany. It is time for a new operating system. A new operating system that functions with less bureaucracy and that not only allows but supports more and faster innovation.

2) Building this new operating system will be hard work. Businesses AND governments have to work together and in synch. This is a job for all of us. I recently shared a 10 points program for Germany, which I see as important for the political agenda in the coming years. See the link in the comments for details.

3) Companies need to rebuild, with AI and data at the core. With technology evolving at a rapid clip, there’s a temptation to just add AI into whatever you’re already doing. But it doesn’t work that way. AI is not an accessory. Instead, it must be central to the infrastructure of our products and processes — and our companies as a whole.

🤖

In a comment, he reposts the link to his 10-point program: Industrie der Zukunft (PDF).

His “program” is relevant for many reasons. At face value, it’s meant for the German Bundestag and for the next Bundesregierung.

This document is the abstract of a 10 Punkte-Plan that’s much longer in its full form (hence the name “Siemens-Politik-Empfehlungen-Deutschland-Legislatur-2025-2029-Kurz.pdf”). The quick summary at page 3 shows the original pages for each proposal, the tenth starting at page 23; but the current document only has 5 pages (rendered as a cover plus 2 double pages in the PDF).

Let me translate page 3:

  1. „Bürokratie schnell abbauen, weniger regulieren, Verwaltung umfassend digitalisieren”
    “Quickly reduce bureaucracy, regulate less, and comprehensively digitize the administration.”
  2. „Wettbewerbsfähige Energiepreise durch pragmatische und intelligente Energiepolitik”
    “Competitive energy prices through pragmatic and intelligent energy policy.”
  3. „Förderung von ausgewählten Zukunftstechnologien sowie Unterstützung bei der Markteinführung”
    “Promotion of selected future technologies and support for [their] market introduction.”
  4. „Modernisierung der Infrastruktur mit öffentlichem und privatem Kapital”
    “Modernization of infrastructure with public and private capital.”
  5. „Steigerung des Arbeitskräftepotentials durch mehr Anreize für Arbeit”
    “Increase workforce potential through more incentives for work.”
  6. „Unternehmenssteuern deutlich senken”
    “Significantly lower corporate taxes.”
  7. „Verteidigungsetat nachhaltig erhöhen”
    “Sustainably increase the defense budget.”
  8. „Pragmatische Handelsabkommen schließen”
    “Conclude pragmatic trade agreements.”
  9. „Nachhaltige Transformation pragmatisch und technologieoffen gestalten”
    “Shape sustainable transformation pragmatically and with an open approach to technology.”
  10. „Einen starken europäischen Markt für Kapital, Handel und Innovation schaffen”
    “Create a strong European market for capital, trade, and innovation.”

Herr Busch, Germany and Europe

While still being stunned that Siemens’s CEO tries to dictate to the Parliament of Germany, let’s also notice that Germany alone could not implement all these measures under the current EU framework. So Herr Busch actually wants to dictate to the European Commission and to the European Parliament!

● Take the first point. It’s not just about generic bureaucracy. It starts with this bullet:

Moratorium für innovationshemmende europäische Regularien (z.B. AI Act, Data Act, Cyber Resilience Act).

Moratorium on innovation-inhibiting European regulations (e.g. AI Act, Data Act, Cyber Resilience Act).

The deregulation in the AI field is exactly what the Techno-Barons in the US want from Europe! Watch again FULL REMARKS: JD Vance Puts European Leaders On Notice About Trying To Regulate U.S. Tech Giants at the AI summit in Paris.

I won’t mention again the “effective accelerationism” powered by Silicon Valley; the “PayPal Mafia” that includes Peter Thiel and Elon Musk; Marc Andreessen’s Techno-Optimist Manifesto; Dark Enlightenment’s philosopher Nick Land; Curtis Yarvin aka Mencius Moldburg; the Bronze Age Pervert; and the fact that the neo-reactionary movement (NRx) that considers democracy to be an obstacle to capitalism used MAGA as a vehicle that transported them to power. From now on, I’ll call this cancer “Techno-Dark-Mafia”.

Roland Busch wants to be the European capo of the Techno-Dark-Mafia.

● Points 3 and 4 are also pro-technology. Deep-Tech-Startups and “digital twins” (Digitale Zwillinge) are mentioned, among other fancy keywords. Then, “Ensuring the free flow of data internationally” and “Germany as a pioneer in the industrial metaverse.” Point 5, with its “incentives to work,” wants to encourage the creation of jobs, the facilitation of the recognition of foreign diplomas and qualifications, and wants to make Germany the number one EU country in STEM (MINT: Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaft und Technik).

Ambitious. One would wonder if Herr Roland Busch took Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China’s lingo for a model. Because this PhD in physics has an interesting résumé:

Roland’s nearly three decades at Siemens span industries and regions – from automotive supply to the Internet of Things, from Erlangen to Shanghai. He studied physics at Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany – where he also received his doctorate – and at the University of Grenoble in France.

Nothing wrong with that. If the United States started the globalization in a way that has empowered China to the status it has today, Germany followed, except that the German industry has transferred technology not only to China, but also to India. But while they act surprised, and try to “make the West great again,” they keep relying on China (and India) for their profit$$$ and bonu$$$es.

● Point 6. “Significantly lower corporate taxes.” What else is to be said? Techno-Dark-Mafia’s program! Who’s going to pay for everything else that’s demanded by the same CEO, including “Sustainably increase the defense budget”? The plebeians!

● Point 8. “Conclude pragmatic trade agreements.” That includes “Pragmatische Chinapolitik/-strategie.”

I’ll repeat myself but, in the point we’re nowadays, there is no way back, and we need to become allies with China. This is not about “making Europe great again,” but about Europe’s survival!

● The “open approach to technology” is anti-dogmatic and deals with the CO2 emissions, the adoption of hydrogen power, and I see it as generally positive. And the last point, “Create a strong European market for capital, trade, and innovation,” is a desideratum that involves “a single and deeper European capital market” that suggests unsatisfaction with the current one. More deregulation, maybe?

🤖

Roland Busch got his wisdom published in The Economist: Wirtschaftswunder 2.0? The boss of Siemens on how to re-energise the German economy:

For too long, Germany had resisted change and relied on a great legacy to continue powering it forwards.

That no longer works. Seismic geopolitical shifts, old and new conflicts and the upending of supply chains are reshaping global competition. Hyper-globalisation is giving way to “glocalisation” as America, China and others rewrite their industrial playbooks and companies pull production closer to key markets. German companies can move factories—but the German economy cannot. It must create new sources of growth.

At the same time, technological change is disrupting entire markets and reshaping economic power. The boundary between hardware and software is disappearing; this is apparent not only in how cars, smartphones and other products work, but also in the way their manufacture is being enhanced by software and AI. In this world, success no longer depends on engineering excellence alone, but on software, industrial AI and data. And perhaps no other economy faces greater pressure to adapt than Germany.

This should be Germany’s moment. And it still could be. The country combines deep industrial know-how with leading expertise in industrial AI, automation and software. Its companies and inventors have plenty of good ideas and cutting-edge technology. They own an enormous amount of valuable industrial data. But they are held back by excessive bureaucracy, rigid regulation, ageing infrastructure and sometimes also by a complacency rooted in past success and legacy business models.

Germany can’t keep up by patching its old system. Investing in security, infrastructure and innovation is a bold start—but not enough. Structural reforms are essential, too. These should focus on three things: clearing the way for stronger economic growth, building a world-class innovation ecosystem and completing Europe’s economic project.

…

The system remains too clunky, despite recent reforms. It still takes 120 days to obtain a business licence in Germany—double the average for advanced economies. Approving high-voltage power lines or railway expansions can take more than a decade. The country needs fewer and better laws, and a public administration that can keep up with the pace of innovation. Faster approvals, digitalised processes and a culture that encourages action must become the norm.

Germany’s transformation needs to be energised—literally. A reliable, affordable energy supply is critical for industry and successful decarbonisation. Lowering electricity taxes, modernising grids and fixing Europe’s fragmented energy market are long overdue. Germany should trust the market-driven carbon-pricing system that reduces emissions while keeping industries competitive.

Moreover, ambition needs to be empowered. STEM careers must be made more attractive. That starts with properly funding vocational schools and expanding hybrid degree programmes that combine traditional fields with digital skills. At the same time, immigration processes must be modernised to attract the additional talent the economy urgently needs.

Next, innovation. Germany has mastered machines; now it must enhance them with industrial AI. In the future, “Made in Germany” has to be about AI agents, adaptive robots and self-optimising factories that redefine industries. But this requires an ecosystem in which startups, industrial businesses, technology companies and universities drive innovation together.

Access to data and sharing data is decisive. Digital ecosystems thrive on availability, not artificial scarcity. Yet, in an unprecedented reversal for a digital economy, industrial data storage and sharing are shrinking in Europe due to restrictive regulation. Germany must turn the tide and champion smarter, innovation-friendly data policies.

Turning ideas into transformative businesses requires courageous bets. While it must aim higher still, Germany has made substantial progress on R&D, raising spending to 3% of GDP. But the missing link in turning innovation into profit is venture capital. In 2022, VC investment was an abysmal 0.09% of GDP—about one-eighth the American level and below the EU average. For Germany to be globally competitive, VC funding must increase at least fivefold.

The third task is to complete Europe’s economic project. Germany’s future is European; no country benefits more from a strong, competitive EU. Yet instead of driving growth, the bloc’s regulations too often hold it back.

The EU’s proposed Omnibus Bill, which is designed to cut red tape and simplify rules for citizens and businesses, is a step in the right direction. But one step won’t win the race, especially not if it is taken slowly. Europe must act fast to implement these changes and take the next steps. That means announcing an immediate regulatory moratorium to stop stifling innovation before it can take off; and preparing a second Omnibus package—including a postponement of the AI Act and Cyber Resilience Act, and the repeal of the Data Act—to clear the way for the innovations that will define the future.

Europe needs more integration. Today, regulatory barriers in the EU act like a 45% tariff on industrial goods and a staggering 110% tariff on services. That is economic self-sabotage. A true single market for trade and capital would unleash new growth, help European tech champions scale up and strengthen the continent’s sovereignty. A stronger, more unified Europe is essential—for more prosperity, for defending Europe’s security and for upholding our values.

…

This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. Germany’s operating system will not rewrite itself. It will require policymakers, workers, entrepreneurs, educators and the next generation’s digital natives to make it happen.

Oh, no. It will also require extremely well-paid CEOs who will dictate to elected politicians.

My interpretations and fears

Siemens’ CEO wants to be the savior of Germany and of Europe. Germany and the EU must adapt their laws, because Herr Roland Busch says so.

Let’s go back to his speech at Hannover 2025. “AI is not an accessory. Instead, it must be central to the infrastructure of our products and processes — and our companies as a whole.”

This is confusing. Because, to me, putting together “Industrial AI, AI agents, adaptive robots and self-optimising factories that redefine industries” is a mistake.

While an entire planet has been enraptured by the LLM-based chatbots and AI agents, there is much more to AI than that. And “Industrial AI” used to refer to a field largely unknown to the public.

I might be wrong, but I thought “Industrial AI” meant Deep Learning-based enhancements applied to industrial software, such as the various CAD/CAM/CAE platforms (including the FEA solvers), the PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) tools, the Digital Twins and virtual prototyping solutions, and other engineering and manufacturing software.

Siemens owns some such solutions: NX, Solid Edge, Teamcenter, Simcenter, Tecnomatix. Through the acquisition of Altair, it now also owns HyperWorks, OptiStruct, HyperMesh, nanoFluidX, and SimLab. Some competitors: Dassault Systèmes (CATIA, SIMULIA, SolidWorks, ENOVIA), BETA CAE (ANSA, META, SPDRM), ANSYS, PTC, MSC Software (Nastran, Adams, Marc). I’m not a mechanical engineer, so I won’t adventure further in this field.

But Siemens’ Digital Industries Software division includes many more solutions, such as the ones that compete with Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys in the electronic design automation (EDA) field. The Siemens EDA (ex-Mentor Graphics Corporation) tools include Calibre, QuestaSim, Catapult, Xpedition, PADS, Precision RTL and Oasys-RTL, Eldo, Analog FastSPICE, Tessent, Veloce, Capital, Simcenter.

I’m not aware of any detail regarding such industrial software, and I shouldn’t care about them. Still, they would benefit from “AI proper” as opposed to LLM-based AI agents.

But Herr Busch’s approach, as expressed in public, even if it criticizes the “temptation to just add AI into whatever you’re already doing,” also seems to suggest that Generative AI should be everywhere, in “the infrastructure of our products and processes — and our companies as a whole.”

This is frightening. Because I believe that the AI-targeting EU legislation is absolutely not about the “smartification” through AI of the above industrial software solutions! No, it’s about human rights, including the right to privacy and dignity, so it would rather affect AI-based surveillance, face recognition, the use of AI in the medical environment, and so on; then the various AI agents that everyone wants to slap into everything!

But the deregulation that the Techno-Dark-Mafia asks for is not meant to help the industrial AI, but the entire AI ecosystem, and most specifically the integration of those bloody LLM-based Gen AI agents into everything!

It’s true that the Eurocracy is abominable; I abhor it, and the failure that the EU has become. The “EU Artificial Intelligence Act” is an abjection: the document itself might seem benign, but its explorer reveals its true colors: 13 chapters, 13 annexes, and 180 “recitals” (really? Why not Psalms?) that are supposed to “provide context about how an article should be interpreted or implemented,” but are absurd as well. Take, at random, Recital 88: Yeah, with such texts is the EU trying to “protect” us against the AI! Cohorts of legal counselors would be needed to understand and implement this Act! This is indeed killing innovation in the EU.

Something has to be done. But should we trust Siemens to take over the entire European Union?

It might be so that Herr Roland Busch tries to invoke “industrial AI” to drive a deregulatory wave that in the end will serve all the less ethical goals of the Techno-Dark-Mafia!

I might be wrong, though. I hope I am wrong!

Otherwise, please, let’s just consider democracy obsolete and ask for the inclusion of our countries in the big People’s Republic of China!

Speaking of China and the US…

I’ll invoke a podcast that’s unfortunately in Romanian and thus inaccessible to most people: Cristian Tudor Popescu și Mihnea Măruță. Cum arată viitorul lumii.

That’s for the mere purpose of quoting something that’s said at minute 2:11:40 regarding the AI: “Things have to go for the worse. This is the law that the United States and China follow. Regulations are nothing but brakes for the US and China. No brakes, sir. Let’s go downhill, lift our foot off both the brake and the clutch, and head downhill…” („Lucrurile trebuie să meargă spre rău. Aceasta este legea pe care o urmează Statele Unite și China. … Reglementările nu înseamnă decât frâne pentru SUA și China. Nu punem nicio frână, dom’le. S-o luăm la vale, ridicăm piciorul și de pe frână, și de pe ambreiaj, și ne ducem la vale…”)

I won’t comment on China, whose AI-related regulations are midway between the US’s and the EU’s (and yet, beyond face recognition, the Chinese use AI to fight corruption; see at the end of this article), but I wonder what the Techno-Dark-Mafia wants from us, Europeans, and if Herr Roland Busch wants to be the German counterpart to the American Techno-Dark-Mafia. In such a case, he’d be alone in this endeavor, which would make him “Il capo di tutti capi”—and Germany really great again. I will refrain from further comments.

Here’s how the AI deregulationists are mocking us:

And this is how our future might look like: