I Don’t Dwell on the Past, We Must Fix the Present
www.posiv.cz ǀ 15
it will remain so within my lifetime.
How do you think artificial intelligence
will affect society and industry?
In industry, the use of artificial intelligence
is incredible. AI can summarise information
in minutes that would take a human
weeks. In business, I compare it to a new
Klondike. A new territory is opening up,
and everyone has the chance to “stake
their claim.” In industry, it is already being
used in quality control, it can learn from
mistakes, and it can automate many routine
tasks, saving both time and costs.
It also has enormous potential in healthcare
– in diagnostics, in comparing data, in its
ability to analyse complex medical records.
All of this can dramatically move us forward.
Since June you have been CEO
of the holding company and signed
a memorandum with VŠB–TU Ostrava.
How do you see the link between
education and practice?
Last year I visited Boston and,
in neighbouring Cambridge, the Innovation
Centre and MIT – the most technically
respected university in the world.
I saw their perfect integration with
business. Every activity in the laboratory
is monitored for commercial potential.
They have dozens of employees whose
sole task is to evaluate whether scientific
work could lead to something applicable
in practice. This approach generates spin-
offs and successful companies, and even
lecturers are not afraid to venture into
entrepreneurship.
Here the situation is improving, but a more
theoretical approach still prevails. Yet
education should have a practical impact.
Technical universities – such as the one
in Ostrava – have made great progress,
but the system should be set up more
towards ensuring that an idea creates
value, not just knowledge.
Thank you for the interview.