AI Communication Award 2026 honours pioneering AI projects

AI Communication Award 2026 honours pioneering AI projects

07/07/2026

Five award-winning initiatives demonstrate how artificial intelligence is transforming communication, business and society
From digital twins preserving personal memories and creative deepfake campaigns to autonomous AI agents and privacy-first applications, the AI Communication Award 2026 demonstrated the breadth of practical artificial intelligence already reshaping corporate communication. Presented during the Social Media Days in Germany (hosted by Ziehl-Abegg), the awards recognised five outstanding projects selected from 29 submissions submitted by companies, universities and public organisations.

"The conversation around artificial intelligence often focuses on what may become possible tomorrow," said Joachim Ley, Chief Executive Officer of Ziehl-Abegg. "We are far more interested in what is creating measurable value today. The AI Communication Award shines a spotlight on organisations that are applying AI responsibly, creatively and with a clear practical benefit."

The awards were presented under the patronage of Dr Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism of the State of Baden-Württemberg (Germany). The winners were selected by an independent jury representing academia, artificial intelligence, corporate communications and marketing. The panel was chaired by AI entrepreneur Joe Keller and Professor Daniel Werth of TU Dresden. Other members included Hannah Jeitner (SAP), Stefanie Kromer (Federal Association of Communicators), Rolf Herrmann (OMR Education), Catrin Bialek (Horizont), Corinne Nauber (Marketing Club Stuttgart-Heilbronn), Dr Christina Blumentritt (Marketing Club Nuremberg), Professor Joachim Buhmann (ETH Zurich), Professor David Rygl (FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg), Professor Ali Sunyaev (Technical University of Munich), Professor Markus Graf (Heilbronn University) and Professor Seon-Su Kim (Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University).

AI-powered Campaigns & Storytelling

The category winner was 'Michael Bommer Makes Himself Immortal' by Eternos.Life and MSL Germany. The project centres on Michael Bommer, who is living with terminal cancer and has created a digital twin designed to preserve his voice, memories and personal outlook for his family. The jury praised the project's careful balance between technological innovation and the ethical questions surrounding memory, identity and bereavement. Philip Maravilla accepted the award on behalf of Eternos.Life and MSL Germany.

Internal Communications, HR & Employee Experience

EY Austria received the award for 'Deepfake with Depth - How the EY AI Boy Turned the Cyber Lab into an Internal Success Story'. Using humour and deepfake technology, the campaign engaged more than 1,300 employees, strengthened cyber security awareness and significantly increased the visibility of EY's Cyber Lab without additional communications expenditure.

AI Strategy, Analytics & Agents in Communication

ControlExpert won this category with ClaimsPilot, an AI-powered platform orchestrating the entire claims journey from first notification through to settlement. Autonomous AI agents accelerate processing, improve productivity and enhance customer satisfaction. The award was accepted by Dr Sebastian Schoenen.

Tools, Platforms & Infrastructure for Communication

Thomas Friese received the award for the MetaCompass Assistant Factory. The project champions European digital sovereignty by enabling organisations to develop and operate advanced AI systems while retaining full control over their data, infrastructure and governance rather than depending on external cloud platforms.

Students & Young Talent

Johannes Störlein of Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg received the Young Talent Award. His project delivers a fully local, GDPR-compliant AI solution supporting interview documentation in family law assessments. The application substantially reduces documentation time while ensuring transparent handling of highly sensitive personal data.

The AI Communication Award was presented for the third time in 2026. Professor Daniel Werth, Co-Chair of the Jury, highlighted the exceptional quality and maturity of this year's submissions. The award aims to showcase exemplary practical applications of artificial intelligence and encourage knowledge exchange between business, academia and communication professionals. The ceremony formed part of the Social Media Days in Schwäbisch Hall, now recognised as one of southern Germany's leading forums dedicated to AI and communication.

About Ziehl-Abegg

Ziehl-Abegg (Künzelsau, Germany) is one of the leading global companies in the field of ventilation, control and drive technology. In the 1950s, Ziehl-Abegg established the basis for modern fan drives: external rotor motors which even today are still seen as state-of-the-art worldwide. Another area of business is electric motors which provide the power, for example, for elevators or medical applications (computer tomography equipment).

The high-tech company has an impressive innovative capability (all figures and statements refer to the year 2025). Ziehl-Abegg employs 3,000 personnel in its production plants in southern Germany. The company has a global workforce of 5,800 spread between 17 production plants, 30 companies and 114 sales locations. The products, approx. 30,000 in all, are sold in more than 100 countries. Turnover totals more than one billion euros.

Emil Ziehl founded the company in Berlin in 1910 as a manufacturer of electric motors. After World War II the company's headquarters were relocated to southern Germany. Ziehl-Abegg SE is not a listed company but instead is family-owned.

For more information go to https://www.ziehl-abegg.com/en/