Festive Lecture by Dr. Michael Klimke “Knowledge, Connect and Shape, Moving into the Future with AI”
Keynote Lecture by Dr. Michael Klimke in Augsburg on AI as a Tool, Responsibility, and Compass for Curious and Courageous Doctoral Graduates.
On the afternoon of November 21, 2025, the lecture hall of the Faculty of Law in Augsburg filled with new doctoral graduates, their families, teachers, and guests.
The President of the University, Prof. Dr. Sabine Doering-Manteuffel, was unable to attend and was gracefully represented by Vice President Prof. Dr. Peter Welzel. In his opening remarks, he emphasized that this celebration honors not only academic achievements but also marks an important milestone in the lives of the graduates.
Following a musical prelude and the award presentations, the Vice President introduced the keynote lecture, intended to bridge scientific excellence with the challenges of a future shaped by artificial intelligence.
Dr. Michael Klimke and His Journey
Dr. Michael Klimke, aerospace engineer and managing director of the Bavarian AI Agency “Baiosphere,” brought with him an unusually diverse professional background.
After completing his doctorate in Stuttgart, including research on the use of solar energy in space, his path first led him to a humanitarian organization in Berlin and later to the Technical University of Munich. There he helped establish the TUM Graduate School and contributed to the founding of the Faculty of Aerospace and Geodesy.
Today, he coordinates Bavaria’s AI ecosystem, encompassing more than 130 new AI professorships, numerous degree programs, and networks such as the AI Production Network Augsburg, an environment where research, industry, and society work closely together. This development illustrates how AI is increasingly seen as a cross-cutting technology permeating all areas of life and enabling new forms of collaboration.
What AI Is and What It Is Not
Dr. Klimke began his lecture with a sober classification of what artificial intelligence can and cannot do.
AI is, first and foremost, a tool, not a promise of omnipotence, not an all-or-nothing proposition, but an instrument that, like a hammer, expands our possibilities.
Dr. Michael Klimke
Especially in research, AI can greatly accelerate processes, from discovering new protein structures and running robotic simulations to analyzing vast text corpora, yet it does not replace independent thinking. The ability to ask good questions, he emphasized, remains “deeply human.” A message that resonated far beyond the group of doctoral graduates.
AI as a Societal Responsibility
In the second part of his lecture, Klimke focused on the social responsibility that comes with the use of AI. Artificial intelligence is not autonomous, it is created and trained by humans.
We decide about the data, the design of the systems, and their applications.
Dr. Michael Klimke
With this reminder, he underlined that algorithmic decisions are always embedded in a moral and ethical framework. Drawing on examples from military intelligence and critical infrastructure, he demonstrated how biases in training data can lead to disastrous misjudgments and why it is vital to have researchers who understand AI, shape it, and accompany its development with a critical eye.
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Augsburg in the Bavarian AI Ecosystem
The audience listened with particular attentiveness when Dr. Klimke highlighted Augsburg’s role within Bavaria’s AI network. The city, once known for textiles and trade, has evolved into a center of knowledge and innovation, investing heavily in AI, production technology, IT security, and resource efficiency.
New research institutes, an AI showroom, the “Digital Security Augsburg” network, and the AI Production Network have made the University of Augsburg a central hub where the formula “AI, Production, Security” takes on tangible form a clear signal to the graduates that the University of Augsburg is part of a broader strategic agenda. The city thus symbolizes a transformation that is not only economic but also cultural and social in nature.
A Personal Path Between Space and Social Work
Perhaps most striking was Klimke’s openness in speaking about his own uncertainties during his doctoral studies. He recalled times when he felt “quite lost, lost in time and space,” missing the kind of exchange, coaching, and structured graduate education that have since become standard in Augsburg.
All the more fascinating, then, was the contrast with his later career stages, from visionary projects on solar energy in space to community work in Berlin, and ultimately to strategic leadership in higher education and innovation policy. His biography powerfully demonstrates the unexpected doors that a doctoral degree can open.
Three Messages to the Doctoral Graduates
At the end of the lecture, Dr. Klimke’s words could be distilled into three guiding principles:
1. Trust in Your Own Curiosity
Curiosity drives scientific inquiry and personal growth. It empowers us to ask questions no one has asked before, whether or not AI is involved. The goal is not merely to optimize the status quo, but to bring genuinely new ideas into the world.
2. Human Encounters as a Foundation
Strong networks and mentoring are not vanity projects but the basis of effective collaboration. Science, business, and society can handle AI and innovation responsibly only when people support one another, share knowledge, and engage critically yet constructively.
3. Follow Your Heart
His third message underscored the importance of biographical freedom and the courage to choose and pursue one’s own path, beyond traditional career templates. Whether in academia, civil society, or entrepreneurship, the essential thing is to align engagement with inner conviction rather than being driven solely by external expectations.
Taken together, Dr. Klimke’s closing words form a kind of compass: curiosity as motivation, community as support, and one’s own heart as direction.
Conclusion and Thanks
Dr. Michael Klimke’s lecture was a powerful call not to be seduced by technology but to use it responsibly and creatively, always keeping one’s curiosity, network, and passion in sight.
Thank you for the opportunity to attend and for a thought-provoking lecture that encouraged not only me but all the graduates to move forward with confidence on their future paths.
English https://medium.com/@henryertner/festive-lecture-by-dr-fd686c2066f2
