Goodbye ChatGPT - welcome to the era of thinking AI

After looking quite far ahead in the last issue - to artificial superintelligence - today we take a step back. Because before machines become geniuses, another milestone has to be reached: Artificial General Intelligence, or AGI for short. What is behind this term, what opportunities does it present - and why is dentona also working on solutions that are ready for this future? Specialist journalist Annett Kieschnick explains this in this issue - with clarity, without hype and with an eye for what is feasible.

Enjoy reading!

Julian from dentona

Quick Takes | What's moving the industry?

KfW grants for digitalisation and innovation: Since July 2025, small and medium-sized enterprises have been able to obtain new low-interest promotional loans for digitalisation and innovation - including for investments in AI, hardware/software and process automation. more

didex is growing: digitalisation is not a leap, but a journey. The didex modelling software is also constantly evolving: new tools, improved workflows and more options - for split-cast models or implant prosthetics, for example. more

d.connect 2025: How will artificial intelligence change everyday laboratory work - and where will humans remain irreplaceable? These questions were the focus of d.connect 2025, where over 100 participants discussed the future of dental technology between digital precision and analogue skills with experts in Dortmund. more

Deep Dive | Background and perspectives

In LabMag 5, we looked at artificial superintelligence - a fascinating but still hypothetical idea. But before machines surpass humans in all intellectual disciplines, a more tangible developmental step is imminent: AGI - Artificial General Intelligence.

AGI is a form of AI that not only works in a narrow area, but also thinks, transfers, learns and plans flexibly; comparable to a colleague who recognises a problem, thinks about solutions, asks questions and corrects its approach if necessary. Not magic, but a huge leap compared to today's AI systems, which are based on patterns and do not understand real correlations.

The dentona perspective: Two worlds, one craft 

Artificial intelligence is no longer a vision, but is taking place. Gradually, often quietly, but with a noticeable impact: in intraoral scanners, in milling strategies, in software processes. It will also play a growing role in dental technology.

dentona is accompanying this change from a clear position – "Two worlds, one craft". This means: innovation without ideology, technology with a sense of proportion, and progress that starts with craftsmanship. As a material specialist and process partner, the Dortmund-based company shapes digital dental technology from the material through to the workflow

• with optiprint 3D printing resins for precision and process reliability, 
• with polymer-based milling materials, tailored to modern CAM strategies, 
• with a CAD/CAM machine portfolio that is coordinated, 
• with roots in the classic plaster model, which remains the standard. 

"AI is a new technology – for all of us. That is why we not only develop products, but also create platforms such as d.connect or the LabMag, to offer guidance. Our attitude: If you want to understand the future, you have to learn to think along with it. Now is the right moment – not only because ChatGPT or AI-supported scanners have arrived in everyday life, but because with every use we are shaping the algorithms of tomorrow."

– Carsten Wilkesmann, Management Board dentona

Where AI is already helping 

The motto "Two worlds, one craft" describes dentona's aspiration to combine digital intelligence with material-based expertise. Because even the best AI needs materials that respond precisely and processes that work reliably: Examples from practice:

• The Aoralscan 3 intraoral scanner from SHINING 3D uses AI-based software for: 
  • automatic soft tissue filtering (Soft Tissue Removal) 
  • simulated tooth position analyses (Ortho Simulator) 
  • plausibility checks for greater safety 
• The dentona software didex and BiteReg offer structured, semi-automated workflows for model creation 
• TK mill as CAM partner demonstrates how AI-optimised milling strategies improve quality and reduce tool wear

Preparing for the AGI era: what labs can do today

1. Ensure data quality ⇒ AI systems are only as good as their data. Those who document in a structured way today will have better AGI assistants tomorrow.
2. Reinforce the basics ⇒ Paradoxically, specialist knowledge is becoming more important, not less. Those who understand materials and processes can use AI in a targeted manner and evaluate it critically.
3. Experimenting with current AI ⇒ Claude, ChatGPT and other systems are impressively powerful. Understanding their logic and prompting them correctly will give you the skills to act.

Conclusion: the beginning of a new era

We are moving towards one of the greatest upheavals since the invention of the computer. For dental technology, this represents both an opportunity and a challenge. AGI will automate routine tasks and set new quality standards - but it needs stable foundations. dentona does not focus on visions alone, but on what counts: reliable materials, well thought-out processes and partnership-based support.

Meet & Learn | Dates & Training

• Digital telescope technology 2.0: 5 November 2025, Dortmund - Digitally thought, digitally made: primary and secondary telescope crowns in a single work step. more
• 39th DGI Congress: 30 October to 1 November 2025, Berlin - Under the motto "Implantology meets dentistry, oral and maxillofacial medicine", the 39th DGI Congress once again has exciting topics in store for dental technicians. more
• Digital Technologies 2025: 13 December 2025, LMU Munich - After a long break, the one-day seminar "Digital Technologies" with updates on innovative treatment concepts will take place again in 2025. here