As artificial intelligence (AI) continues its rapid global expansion, two very different events in 2025—one in the heart of Germany’s industrial sector and another on the digital frontlines of Vietnam—offer a vivid snapshot of how this technology is reshaping economies, industries, and daily life.
From September 22 to 26, the world’s leading trade fair for production technology, EMO Hannover, will open its doors to thousands of visitors eager to catch a glimpse of the future. At the center of this year’s event is the EMO Innovation Stage, located in Hall 12, Stand A60, which promises to deliver a sweeping view of the latest technical trends, business strategies, and broad perspectives shaping the manufacturing world. According to VDW, the fair’s organizer, the Innovation Stage is designed to offer “insights into relevant technical trends, entrepreneurial strategies, and overarching perspectives.”
Dr. Markus Heering, managing director at VDW, described the event’s mission succinctly: “We have asked representatives of our exhibitors, important customer industries, and experts from business, science, and politics to present their assessment of the future development of the international industry.” The goal, he says, is to provide the industry with the fresh impulses it needs to remain innovative and future-ready in challenging times.
One of the standout features of the Innovation Stage is the daily P.O.P.-Talks—short, pointed presentations and discussions under the banner “Perspectives of Production.” Each afternoon between 2:00 and 3:00 pm, international business leaders and experts will tackle the burning question of how AI is transforming manufacturing. Among the headline speakers are Prof. Dr. Patrick Glauner, a professor of AI at TU Deggendorf and managing partner of Skyrocket.ai, who will explore current trends in AI technology, commercialization, and regulation. Glauner will probe, “How can companies profitably use the latest AI technologies? How can opportunities be seized without losing acceptance? How can Europe remain technologically innovative and economically competitive?”
Also taking the stage is Dr. Rainer Bischoff, general manager for Germany at Intrinsic AI (an Alphabet subsidiary), who will discuss automating machine tools with AI-enabled robots. The panel will be rounded out by industry leaders like Jörg Fenstermann, plant manager at VW Kassel; Dr. Sebastian Schneider, head of R&D Processes at DMG Mori; and Dr. Dominik Rohrmus, chief expert software CTO at Siemens, who will debate how AI enhances future industrial production. They’ll dig into questions such as how to obtain high-quality data and the role of open data spaces and standardized interfaces for data exchange.
Mirko Ross, CEO of asvin, will share his thoughts on the effective protection of AI training data, while publicist and blogger Sascha Lobo will stir debate with the provocative question: “AI in manufacturing—growth engine or existential threat?”
The P.O.P.-Talks are just one part of a broader program. Highlight lectures will feature prominent figures from industry, research, and politics, such as Stephen Hooper, vice president of design and manufacturing product development at Autodesk, and Julia Jäkel, former CEO of Gruner + Jahr and co-initiator of a recent policy report to the German president. Meanwhile, exhibitors will present daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, offering deep dives into topics like automation, digitalization, additive manufacturing, the use of cooling lubricants, 3D metrology, and spare parts procurement.
“The EMO Innovation Stage offers an enormous range of content,” Heering emphasizes. “We warmly invite visitors and exhibitors to take advantage of the offerings, gain inspiration to modernize their own production, and join the dialogue about the future of industry from different perspectives.”
While Germany’s manufacturing giants are grappling with how to harness AI for competitive advantage, halfway around the globe, Vietnamese consumers are already embracing a diverse ecosystem of AI platforms in their daily lives. The newly released “Vietnam Consumer AI Market 2025” report by Decision Lab, based on a nationwide online survey conducted from July 20 to 28, 2025, offers a revealing look at this phenomenon. The survey included 600 participants aged 18 and over, evenly distributed by age, income, and urban-rural residence.
According to Decision Lab, Vietnam is a market characterized by high openness to AI: a remarkable 78% of respondents reported using at least one AI platform in the previous three months, and 33% interact with AI daily. Even more striking, up to 55% are paying users—a sign that Vietnamese consumers are willing to invest in these technologies. On average, each person uses two AI platforms. ChatGPT leads the pack with an 81% usage rate, followed by Gemini at 51% and Meta AI at 36%.
Local platforms are also making their mark. AI Hay, a Vietnamese AI platform, ranked sixth in popularity (9%), tying with Grok, while Kiki, another homegrown effort, came in ninth at 3%. In terms of user satisfaction, AI Hay performed especially well, landing in second place with 47%, just behind ChatGPT (51%) and ahead of Gemini (36%). Well-known platforms like Meta AI, Copilot, and DeepSeek each scored under 30% in user satisfaction.
Vietnamese users are finding creative and practical uses for AI. ChatGPT is seen as a “multipurpose assistant” for translation, research, and professional work, Decision Lab reports. Gemini and DeepSeek are favored for learning new skills, while Meta AI is the go-to for daily chat. AI Hay serves as a “bridge between education and entertainment,” frequently used for learning and staying up to date on current trends.
Why are Vietnamese consumers turning to AI? The top reasons cited in the survey were saving time (67%), simplifying learning (60%), stimulating creativity (51%), and improving accuracy (48%). The main areas of AI use in Vietnam fall into five categories: learning and working (such as acquiring new skills and translating content), entertainment (chat support and practicing interactive communication), creative work (editing images/videos and generating written content), health (searching for medical information), and daily activities (help with planning, shopping, and chores).
Experts at Decision Lab identified three key factors driving AI’s popularity in Vietnam: affordability (thanks to free or low-cost features), user-friendliness (intuitive, versatile tools with seamless platform integration), and accuracy (reliable real-time information that builds trust). But they also warn that success in the Vietnamese market requires more than just technical prowess. As their report puts it, “Vietnamese users value cultural proximity. This means mastering the Vietnamese language, understanding local nuances, and creating content appropriate to the socio-cultural context.”
In short, while European industry leaders debate how to remain globally competitive through AI innovation, Vietnamese consumers are already living with AI as a daily companion—one that must speak their language, fit their culture, and meet their practical needs. The contrast between the two stories is telling: the future of AI is not just about the latest breakthrough or the biggest factory, but about how well technology adapts to the people it serves.
As the world’s industrialists gather in Hannover and Vietnamese users shape their own AI market, the message is clear: the age of artificial intelligence is here, and its impact will be defined as much by local context and user expectations as by technological progress itself.
