Nordic governments are launching an exciting new project: the Nordic AI Centre (NAIC). This initiative aims to boost security and enhance business competitiveness through collaboration in artificial intelligence, cyber security, and digitisation. Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway promised to work together on this back in 2022, and now they are getting to it.
The NAIC will be managed by Nordic Innovation (NI), which operates under the Nordic Council of Ministers. NI gets its funding from all five Nordic countries, including Iceland. The Nordic Council of Ministers has been around since 1971, serving as a hub for intergovernmental collaboration in the region.
A dedicated team made up of AI Sweden, AI Finland, IKT-Norge, and Digital Dogma from Denmark is hard at work drawing up the operational plans for the NAIC. They have until the centre’s launch in 2025 to establish partnership models, organizational structures, and funding strategies.
Svein Berg, managing director at NI, highlights that this centre aims to strengthen Nordic cooperation in AI. The goal? Keep up with major global players like the US, China, Britain, and Singapore. According to Berg, the opening of AI Sweden’s national centre in 2019 set a new standard. He believes the NAIC could significantly elevate collaboration in technology and enhance competitiveness for both public and private sectors in the Nordic countries.
Berg also points out that the NAIC can yield substantial societal advantages. He notes that the Nordic Ethical AI Expert Group (NE-AI-EG) has put forth five actionable proposals aimed at supporting Nordic businesses. One major suggestion is to create a Nordic Centre for Responsible AI to harness local knowledge and resources.
Martin Svensson, CEO of AI Sweden, emphasizes the long-term vision for the NAIC: to become a hub of excellence and relevance for both Nordic and Baltic organizations. He sees a united front as essential for tackling significant challenges in the region, leveraging AI Sweden’s expertise to shape the centre’s work.
However, the Nordic countries lag behind in AI investment, with a recent report showing a decline in their global standings. Finland dropped from 10th to 15th place, Denmark fell from 16th to 22nd, while Sweden slid from 17th to 25th. Norway dropped from 24th to 26th, and Iceland remained unchanged at 40th.
To tighten collaboration, a meeting of digitisation ministers from Nordic and Baltic countries discussed how to enhance AI readiness. They reviewed 21 recommendations from both public and private sectors, aiming for a united strategy on AI.
Erik Slottner, Sweden’s minister of digital policy, pointed out that the rapid changes in technology create both opportunities and ethical challenges. The group’s recommendations are designed to provide guidance for collective action in the AI arena.
The NE-AI-EG is working on five key policy recommendations to address the swift evolution of AI. Their focus is on promoting responsible AI practices that can drive competitiveness across the Nordic region.
Berg underscores the benefits of a cohesive AI strategy, which would pool resources and expertise to craft ethical AI services. He notes that four of the five Nordic countries are revising their national digitalisation strategies this year, aiming to use the NE-AI-EG’s recommendations as a roadmap.
The Nordic region, with its high level of digitisation, stands at the cusp of becoming a global AI leader. Berg insists that the countries must pursue two tracks: actively developing AI while ensuring ethical considerations stay at the forefront. He believes that collaboration across the Nordic countries is key to addressing the challenges ahead.