Menü überspringen
zurück

06. Feb 2025 | Partner News

CANCOM and IBM promote young professionals with the “watsonXplore” challenge

IMG_7137

  • 25 CANCOM trainees and dual students developed their own AI use cases with IBM watsonx in the WatsonXPlore Challenge and presented their solutions to a jury of experts
  • The winning team CanConnect impressed with an AI-supported chatbot for better collaboration between sales and technology
  • The challenge highlights the high quality of the CANCOM training program, which allows trainees to take on responsibility early on and offers practical experience

Experience artificial intelligence in a practical way and develop your own AI use cases: this was the goal of the “watsonXplore” challenge, a joint initiative by CANCOM and IBM. 25 apprentices and dual students from CANCOM worked in four teams on innovative AI applications for several months. The grand finale took place on January 28, 2025 at the IBM Innovation Studio in Munich, where the participants presented their solutions to a jury of experts.

The challenge kicked off in October with an introduction to AI in general and IBM Watson. The teams then developed their own use cases, discussed them with IBM experts, and set about implementing them using IBM Watson Cloud Services. During the project phase, which lasted several months, the participants gained valuable experience in project management, team organization, the application of AI models, and presentation techniques.

The teams developed various AI solutions, including applications for customer feedback analysis, for the automated creation of exercises for Chamber of Industry and Commerce exams, for optimizing communication between sales and technology, and for converting technical data sheets into creative advertising copy. The jury chose Team CanConnect as the winner, which developed an AI-supported chatbot to improve collaboration between sales and technology.

Participants gave consistently positive feedback on the challenge. They emphasized the practical experience with AI, the realization that powerful AI requires a great deal of know-how, and the opportunity to try out different models. In particular, the tour of the watsonx exhibition at the IBM Innovation Studio shortly before the final provided valuable insights into current AI technologies.
The watsonXplore Challenge was jointly organized by CANCOM and IBM. CANCOM was represented by Isabel Kuhlmann, René Schumann, Daniel Friedlmaier, Patrik Groß and Jinjie Liu, while Katja Bruner and Saskia Röttele coordinated the project on the IBM side with Ursula Bosch, Tobias Nirschl and Maximilian Jesch. The jury consisted of representatives from both companies and evaluated the projects according to their innovative strength, technical implementation, and added value for companies.

With the watsonXplore Challenge, CANCOM and IBM have demonstrated how practical AI expertise can be fostered as early as the training stage. The positive feedback and impressive project results lay the foundation for future initiatives of this kind, as well as further joint AI projects with IBM. The challenge also demonstrates the high value placed on practical experience in the CANCOM training program: trainees take on responsibility in projects at an early stage and gain valuable experience that optimally prepares them for their future careers.

About CANCOM

As a leading Digital Business Provider, CANCOM leads companies, organizations and the public sector into the digital future. The range of services and solutions includes classic system house IT solutions as well as data-based digital solutions, managed services and cloud services. We accompany the digital evolution of our customers with passion and technology and support them in reducing the complexity of their IT and developing new business models. We offer a holistic portfolio for all IT and business requirements.

The CANCOM Group’s offering comprises innovative solutions in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Security & Network, Datacenter & Cloud, IoT Solutions and Modern Workplace and includes services for the entire IT lifecycle – from the provision of IT infrastructures, planning and integration, to support, managed services and XaaS. Customers benefit from the extensive expertise with which their diverse requirements are translated into concrete industry-specific IT solutions to significantly promote their business success.

The more than 5,600 employees of the internationally active CANCOM Group with around 80 locations in the DACH region, Belgium, Slovakia, Romania and the Czech Republic as well as an efficient partner network ensure market presence and customer proximity. The CANCOM Group is managed by Rüdiger Rath (CEO) and Thomas Stark (CFO). The company is headquartered in Munich. CANCOM generated annual revenue of around 1.7 billion euros in 2024. The Group parent company CANCOM SE is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the TecDAX and SDAX (ISIN DE0005419105).