In this episode of The Voice of Converting, we talked to AI expert Michael Welsch, who brings generative models such as ChatGPT to the production lines of the converting industry with his company Octopus Digital GmbH.
From mechanical engineering to artificial intelligence
Welsch started out his career as a mechanical engineer. Then, in 2016, when he was working on his PhD, he met a colleague who had just returned from a conference in Las Vegas.
He found the conference itself boring, but there was a hackathon on machine learning at the same hotel. At first, Welsch laughed out loud and wondered what that was supposed to be. This colleague then showed him what it was all about. And overnight he decided to drop everything. “I‘m joining in now! Back then, we already knew where the journey was heading, but we weren‘t quite ready to call it AI yet.”
Bringing analytical AI into production lines
Welsch then founded his first company in 2018 to bring analytical AI into very broadly diversified production lines. Two years ago, the topic of generative AI came up – and now he is working on industry-specific solutions in this area. These primarily include printing, converting and coating machines, which Welsch believes are perfect for AI integration!
In our Podcast, Welsch showcases the enormous possibilities of artificial intelligence within the converting sector. And he is certain: “AI is one of the most powerful tools mankind has ever created!”