Ailio is helping to shape the AI ​​& data world at data:unplugged 2025

Ahoy data community! Last week Münster was all about data and artificial intelligence. data:unplugged 2025 has once again proven that it is more than just a conference - it is a festival, a meeting place, a motor for the urgently needed AI boost in Germany. With over 6,000 visitors, the energy was palpable, and we at Ailio were right in the middle of it, helping to shape, learn and network.

Cast off: Our pre-event on the MS Günther

Even before the official starting signal, we and around 50 guests said: “Cast off!” With our pre-event on the legendary MS Günther, we ventured into new territory - as a low-level event organizer, as we jokingly said. We sailed through Münster's canals for almost four hours, enjoyed the warm evening and, above all, intensive conversations. Time flew by, new faces became familiar, ideas were exchanged. This experiment showed us: It's worth just doing it! Even though we already have 100 ideas on how we can do it even better next year, the evening was a complete success and the perfect start to the festival.

From theory to practice: Ailios Impulses and Masterclasses

At data:unplugged itself, we shared our knowledge and practical experience in various formats:

1. Keynote speech by Aleksander Fegel: Aleksander impressively demonstrated how Industrial AI projects can be successfully implemented. He drew parallels between the challenges of AI projects and start-ups and explained why, especially in industrial environments, AI projects often appear riskier than classic software development. His core message: With the right mindset and the right methodology, it can be mastered in the end - often “it’s all just Python code”. He presented concrete success factors that we live by at Ailio:

   • Salami tactics: Small, manageable project phases with clear results minimize the risk and make you want more.
   • Lean teams: Especially in the prototyping phase, small teams (all-rounders, sparring partners, domain experts) are ideal for minimizing communication effort and having more budget for experiments.
   • Use Case Validation: Focus on the right use cases for which the data is right to avoid wasting time and budget.
   • Customer Proximity: Early releases, hands-on data science for domain experts to get quick feedback.
   • Pragmatism: Experiment with on-board tools before starting large IT projects. Validate signals first!
   • Scaling wisely: If a prototype works, then think about data engineering, infrastructure and automation.
   • Reusability: Templates and setups speed up experimentation.
   • Flexibility: Be open to changing course if initial assumptions prove incorrect.
   • Doing instead of talking: 90% of the insights come from practical work with the data.

2. Masterclasses: Janis Goesser and David Geisel delved into how data and AI projects can be led to long-term success in two masterclasses. They showed an industrial AI example from coffee roasting, how to train models and manage them on a 360* data platform. Using demos, some of which were technical, it was shown how ideas become tangible solutions.

A festival full of highlights

In addition to our own contributions, data:unplugged 2025 was full of inspiring moments. Sascha Lobo's lecture was encouraging and showed ways in which the AI ​​push can and must be successful, especially in German medium-sized businesses. For football fans (and BVB supporters in particular) the conversation between Carsten Cramer and Prof. Dr. Volker Gruhn on digitalization at BVB is a highlight.

Countless conversations, new contacts and one or two strange stories (keyword: “magic kebab door”) made the event unforgettable. data:unplugged has developed impressively since last year and is a must for everyone involved in data and AI.

Conclusion: We'll be back!

For us at Ailio, data:unplugged 2025 was a complete success. We were able to provide valuable inspiration, learn a lot and feel the enthusiasm for AI and data in Germany. A big thank you to the organizers and all participants for the exchange! We'll definitely see each other again next year - maybe again on the water and definitely at the conference!