In recent decades, a company like Amazon has turned the traditional retail sector on its head. Many city centres are familiar with the picture: closed shops, deserted shopping streets, while more and more people place their orders conveniently at the click of a button. Through consistent price leadership, efficient logistics and an almost infinite product range, Amazon has managed to dominate the market in a way that almost amounts to a monopoly.

Of course, there are still niche retailers and speciality shops, but the balance of power has shifted: Anyone who wants to compete against Amazon has a hard time. The group now dominates around 40% of the US e-commerce market - a share that shows just how concentrated digital markets can become.

The parallel to artificial intelligence

This is exactly where it is worth taking a look into the future. Because what Amazon has achieved in the retail sector could be achieved by artificial intelligence (AI) in many other industries.

Companies today are under pressure to organise their processes more efficiently, reduce costs and at the same time secure their market share. AI promises to do just that:

• faster decisions,
• optimised processes,
• personalised offers,
• enormous savings through automation.

No management board or shareholder will be able to escape this pressure. Those who do not utilise AI risk falling behind.

The possible spiral

But what looks like progress in the short term harbours a long-term danger: if all companies focus solely on efficiency, who will be left as customers in the end?

After all, the bottom line is that it is still people who buy products and services. If jobs are lost and incomes fall because AI is taking over more and more of the value chain, demand could erode.

That would be a spiral that we know from the retail trade:

• At first, customers are happy about low prices and convenience.
• Then the alternatives disappear.
• In the end, one dominant provider remains - and the diversity that was once taken for granted is hardly to be found.

What we need to learn from this

The example of Amazon shows how quickly a market can topple if a player skilfully exploits economies of scale, technology and data. A similar scenario is looming with AI - only this time it is not just retail that could be affected, but almost all areas of the economy: from media to finance to healthcare.

This is not about demonising AI. On the contrary: the technology offers enormous opportunities for innovation, progress and quality of life. But it must not be used blindly. We need it:

• Framework conditions that ensure diversity,
• Rules that prevent the formation of monopolies,
• and an open debate on how AI is used in such a way that people ultimately remain at the centre of attention.

Amazon has revolutionised retail - and destroyed many traditional structures at the same time. We are at a similar point with AI. The question is not whether companies will use AI - that is inevitable. The crucial question is: how do we ensure that this development does not come at the expense of customers, diversity and ultimately society?

This is precisely where the KI Fair Use Index comes in. It creates a label that provides guidance for both companies and end users. Companies can use it to show that they are endeavouring to achieve a healthy mix of technology and human work. Consumers, in turn, can see at a glance how responsibly a company handles the use of AI - and whether it continues to place people at the centre of its value creation.