On November 10th, the Kleine Zeitung newspaper hosted a “Reden wir” (Let’s Talk) event at the Canon Center in Vienna, featuring a high-profile panel to discuss “digital transformation”. The panel discussion, moderated by Mathias Pascottin, included Austrian Power Grid CEO Gerhard Christiner, Head of Information Management at Canon Austria Andreas Plamberger, Deputy Digital Chief of Kleine Zeitung Sandra Mathelitsch, Karin Sommer from the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKO), and General Director of the Austrian State Printing House (OeSD) Helmut Lackner.

Successful Digital Transformation

General Director Lackner highlighted the successful path of the OeSD group during the discussion. In addition to protecting physical documents, the OeSD group is an international pioneer in the field of digital identities. As early as 2015, the company presented a prototype for electronic identity and digital passports. Today, the OeSD’s digital subsidiary “youniqx Identity” develops “ePassports” such as digital driver’s licenses and vehicle registration certificates for the Republic of Austria. Internationally, Austrian expertise in secure identity is highly regarded, with the OeSD group having implemented identity projects and digital ID solutions for over 60 customers on five continents. “We protect our identities because it’s a constant race against counterfeiters,” Lackner emphasized, underscoring the company’s mission.

AI and Austria as a Business Location

The panel also intensively discussed the pros and cons of current developments in artificial intelligence (AI). “AI brings great benefits for us, as it helps us secure ourselves,” said Lackner. However, AI is also a tool for counterfeiters, which makes physical and digital identity protection even more important. The discussion also focused on Austria as a business location and current challenges. Karin Sommer from the Chamber of Commerce noted that not everything is optimal in Austria. “What we need is digital sovereignty, but currently, we are heavily dependent on others. We have missed many steps and haven’t kept pace with countries like the US, which is also reflected in our infrastructure.” General Director Lackner also emphasized the importance of assessing Austria’s current economic situation: “I refuse to look at ourselves with such a negative perspective. We are top-notch in many areas, including research and application,” said Lackner, who was supported by the other panelists.

A follow-up report on the discussion can be found online at www.kleinezeitung.at and in the Sunday edition of Kleine Zeitung from November 23rd.