Experts discuss future mobility at the MQ! Innovation Summit hosted by Audi

With #neverstopquestioning as the motto, this year once again Audi invited international experts to a digital discussion on the future of mobility. The core questions remain: is there a 'mobility quotient' (MQ), like an IQ? And how can it be measured?

How will sustainable mobility in the future be defined? How can customers' needs best be integrated into product development? These are just a few of the questions that 1,500 participants from 70 countries, as well as external and internal experts, considered in various digital formats on 10 and 11 November, 2020.

"In my opinion, it is incredibly exciting to work in tech today. With all the challenges - and opportunities - that we face, there is a lot of space to realise your own visions. Audi is a place where we embrace change", said Dr. Sabine Maassen, Board Member of AUDI AG for Personnel and Organization in her concluding talk.

At the two-day event, international keynote speakers provided forward-looking impulses for an intense discussion of various aspects of future mobility. The topics were then explored in greater depth in digital discussion forums, and debated by external experts and Audi's own experts. The focus was on user experience of mobility services, the potential of artificial intelligence, and battery technologies.

In his keynote, Tristan Harris, Co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, looked at the ethical components of artificial intelligence. He warned about the increasing influence of intelligent algorithms in social media and advocated a conscious use of technology platforms.

Harper Reed, a technologist, entrepreneur and hacker, addressed this challenge, saying, "AI doesn't learn like humans. It creates alien knowledge. And creates results we don't expect."

Anna Nixon, an expert on robotics and co-founder of STEM4Girls (STEM: science, technology, engineering, mathematics) explained the importance of remaining curious - as an adult, too. "It's not about having the right answers, it's about asking the right questions. If we are not asking enough questions, we miss out on a lot of information and opportunities," she said. 

Professor Sebastian Thrun, Co-founder of the Udacity online academy and Kitty Hawk, a maker of electric aircraft, sees enormous potential for innovation in the future, saying, "Only 1% of interesting things have been invented yet. There are more than 99% that have not even been invented and thought of - the sky is the limit."