I really had zero expectations. I actually didn’t even want to go. The AI Barcamp and the Fuckup Night in Jena were in my diary, but more along the lines of: let’s see if I can pull myself together. In the end, it turned out to be one of the best events of the year.
I already realised at the AI Barcamp that things were changing. Sure, it was a lot about tools, use cases and new ideas. But at the same time, there was this completely different level that really picked me up. Many sessions were very thought-provoking and posed the question of what actually happens to us humans when AI is everywhere. Not technically, but in a very human way. That concerned me more than anything else.
And then Jena. I like this city anyway, but it just feels right for events like this. At the Eastside Heroes Festival, I already realised what is possible here. The AI Barcamp only confirmed that. There are places where you realise that something is happening, and Jena is definitely one of them for me.
The Fuckup Night was the perfect contrast programme. Beautifully honest, beautifully direct and full of stories that you simply love to hear because they are so close to reality. Failure, learning, getting back up again. Fits quite well at a time when we are also talking about the future of AI.
In the end, I’m just glad that I went. Without expectations, without a plan, just doing it. And that’s when things sometimes happen that you don’t forget so quickly.
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