The spectacular progress made by artificial intelligence has triggered a wave of euphoria that is now sweeping the country unchecked, arousing high expectations but also deep fears. On the one hand, it is hoped that solutions will be found in the near future to mankind's major problems, and on the other hand, there are fears of the misuse of new technologies. In my lecture I will explain the central concepts of digitization, artificial intelligence and machine learning using examples, taking into account both the opportunities and technical limitations of current scientific and technological developments.