Austrian Research and Technology Report 2020

participants and consolidated further. The corre-
sponding results report
145
was published in Novem-
ber 2019. Although the strategy development was 
not completed due to early elections, there is now 
not only a comprehensive analysis of AI in Austria 
but also a roadmap for the future to develop a feder-
al AI strategy. 
The current federal government’s programme un-
derlines the significance of AI as part of the digital-
isation-driven technological change that society is 
undergoing. Developing the AI strategy announced in 
2018 is one of the explicit aims of this programme 
and combines the technological opportunities 
opened up by expanding on Austria’s existing AI 
strengths with the formulation of ethical guidelines 
for using AI.
146
3.2 AI in schools and higher education
In the Artificial Intelligence Mission Austria 2030 
(AIM AT 2030), the Federal Ministry for Transport, In-
novation and Technology (BMVIT) and the Federal 
Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW) 
state that 
“Knowledge in dealing with AI systems is 
essential not only for experts. Digital skills for citi-

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3. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
163
zens are a prerequisite for a fearless and productive 
use of AI technologies and for participating in soci-
ety. AI competencies must therefore have their place 
in education and training at schools, in teaching and 
at universities. AI can help learners and educators to 
make learning more effective and exciting.”
147
AI is a 
cross-cutting theme whose rapid development will 
see it affect virtually everyone in Austria in the fu-
ture, which will make critical reflection and a funda-
mental understanding essential. AI can be deployed 
in all manner of different ways in school and higher 
education, in particular in order to expand and broad-
en the opportunities afforded to educators and 
learners.
148
The “Zusammenfassung der Ergebnisse der Exper-
tinnen und Experten zur Erarbeitung eines Strategie-
plans für Künstliche Intelligenz” (“Summary of ex-
perts’ findings for developing an artificial intelligence 
strategy”) builds on this and identifies the following 
required improvements in terms of qualifications, 
training and continuing education: 
•
“determine the specific AI qualification needs from 
a broad perspective as against the degree of spe-
cialist depth required in qualification measures for 
the individual target groups (develop a competen-
cy map);
•
re- and upskill so that people in gainful employ-
ment can acquire AI competencies even while at 
work, focusing on basic AI skills;
•
anchor AI application expertise in the education 
system as early as possible;
•
establish an overview of AI learning software;
•
integrate ethical and data protection aspects into 
training and continuing education for software de-
velopers;
•
expand existing sub-areas of AI such as machine 
learning, expert systems, robotics, autonomous 
147 See Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT) and Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs 
(BMDW) (2019a, 12).
148 See Birkelbach et al. (2019).
149 See Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT) and Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs 
(BMDW) (2019b).
systems and computer vision in research and 
teaching, and strengthen niches;
•
intensify training for AI developers;
•
set up AI-specific professorships in the tertiary 
sector and step up cooperation with international 
experts, taking particular account of sustainability 
issues;
•
implement excellence initiatives for AI research 
both on a broad base and in depth, and fund infra-
structure;
•
raise awareness to combat discrimination in col-
lecting/analysing data;
•
anchor ethical questions in research and teaching 
as a central theme for gender equality and diversi-
ty (focus on the Third Mission);
•
standardise and certify AI-related competencies;
•
integrate ‘21st-century skills’ and update school-
books and teaching materials.” 
149
Two discernible sub-areas emerge from these chal-
lenges: firstly, teaching about AI and the critical re-
flection on and discussion of its impact, and, second-
ly, the specific use of AI in areas of teaching and 
learning. 
The focus in school education lies in particular on 
strengthening STEM teaching and developing AI 
competencies as well as on integrating AI into teach-
er training. In this context, the “Zusammenfassung 
der Ergebnisse der Expertinnen und Experten zur 
Erarbeitung eines Strategieplans für Künstliche Intel-
ligenz” (“Summary of experts’ findings for developing 
an artificial intelligence strategy”) recommends an-
choring digital and, in particular, AI competencies in 
educational strategies as early as possible and ex-
plicitly encouraging women and girls. Schools are al-
so to be helped to set their own AI priorities within 
the scope of the autonomy afforded to them. For VET 
colleges, the experts recommend increasing the 

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