AI Sweden puts AI on decision makers' agenda in Almedalen

From June 24th to 26th, AI Sweden's garden brought together a diverse group of decision makers, experts, business leaders, and public sector representatives to explore the most relevant and forward-looking questions within AI. Seminars, panel debates, and roundtable discussions covered everything from strategic leadership and innovation to sustainability and societal benefits.

Key societal issues in focus: From a changing workforce to responsible AI

Over three days, AI Sweden hosted 16 seminars. These sessions touched upon AI technology's impact on various parts of society. The discussions kicked off with a panel debate on leading in the AI era, where Niclas Backlund, Head of GCU at Ericsson, Pernilla Ramslöv, CEO of Nox Consulting, and AI Sweden's Managing Director, Martin Svensson, discussed what decision makers need to do to extract value from AI.

Under the heading "AI is fundamentally changing working life – how prepared are we?", former Minister for Employment and Integration Mats Persson (L) and Jan-Olof Jacke, CEO of Svenskt Näringsliv (Confederation of Swedish Enterprise), discussed the impact of AI technology on the labor market and future skills supply.

Important conversations also took place regarding AI in healthcare, how municipalities are building data-driven decisionmaking, AI technology's role in defense, the future electricity grid, and the need for national guidance for AI in schools.

The week concluded with a panel discussion on responsible AI in practice featuring Eric Leijonram, Director General of the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY), Caroline Atelius, COO, Microsoft Sweden, and Nicklas Mårtensson, Chairman, Funktionsrätt Sverige (Swedish Disability Rights Federation). There was also a conversation on how to maximize Nordic capacity for action and competitiveness, with participants including Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner.