German govt to provide $3.39bln for artificial intelligence

BERLIN- The German government will provide around 3 billion euros ($3.39 billion) for the research and development of artificial intelligence by 2025, the economy minister said on Wednesday as Germany ramps up efforts to become a world leader in the field.

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said he expected this investment would mobilize roughly the same amount of private funds, meaning there would be around 6 billion euros of investment in total.

His comments confirmed a Reuters report on Tuesday. The government plan is a measure of the concern felt in Berlin at the challenge that digital technologies and artificial intelligence pose to Germany's traditional export-focused manufacturing industries.