The panel talk: The discussion partners

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Kathrin Wilkens is head of the “UX Technologies and Prototypes” team at Volkswagen Group Innovation. Together with her interdisciplinary team, Kathrin develops concepts and prototypes for new customer experiences in future Volkswagen Group vehicles. Using pioneering technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality and spatial computing, she develops innovative interaction concepts that are passed on to the Volkswagen Group brands.

Kathrin studied industrial engineering in Kiel and completed her doctorate in statistical data processing. She has been with Volkswagen AG for 12 years, where she has been responsible for a wide range of projects in the User Experience and HMI departments.

With her profound musical understanding, technical brilliance and emotional honesty, the German-Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott is one of the world's leading performers. Her poetic piano playing, praised by critics for its perfection and intensity, has evoked comparisons with great artists of the past. Her innovative approach to programming and her openness to artistic experimentation have also been widely acclaimed.

EMIL BERLINER STUDIOS, named after the inventor of the gramophone and vinyl record, is one of the most renowned recording studios for analog and digital music productions. And Rainer Maillard is the managing director and sound engineer there. He has worked for the leading musicians in classical music and has already won four GRAMMY Awards with his productions. His expertise ranges from analog direct-to-disc recordings to Dolby Atmos mixes.

David Haslacher is a neuroscientist researching non-invasive brain-computer interfaces that convert brain activity into control signals for machines and modulate brain activity through electrical stimulation. His work combines artificial intelligence and experimental research to develop novel approaches for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

began working as a media artist in 1996 and has been active worldwide ever since. His artistic practice is characterized by audiovisual projects that create immersive spaces through light, color and movement. Geist transforms architecture and urban environments into walk-in painterly artworks, creating synaesthetic experiences that lead the audience into a hypnotic dialog with space and time. Using innovative projections, mapping techniques and fine art prints, he combines painting and digital generative art, transcending the boundaries of the classic image format. In the exclusive setting of the Yellow Lounge, Philipp Geist will be using the Immersive Room at DRIVE with an expansive light installation that transforms the space into a living, pulsating organism and allows visitors to immerse themselves in his visionary world.

AC Coppens works mainly in Berlin, but is also regularly active in New York, LA, Zurich and Marseille.
A 360-degree view of innovation and change as well as a solid background in the performing arts qualifies AC as both a TED speaker and discussion moderator. AC turns conversations into an entertaining, lively experience. In Berlin, AC is known for regularly moderating the Falling Walls conference, re:publica, Berlinale Talents and many other events at the interface between art and technology.