First Eye for AI rotation shows promise in bridging AI talent gap

Transforming Healthcare Through AI

At Region Skåne, one of Sweden's largest employers with 40,000 employees, talents Azalea Alothmani and Andreas Häggström worked on AI projects advancing healthcare innovation. Their first project focused on predicting patient length of stay at the ICU in Lund, achieving an accuracy rate of 75.4% - meaning the AI system could correctly predict the length of stay in three out of four cases. The talents also developed an AI model to predict when patients might go into shock - a critical condition requiring immediate intervention - helping medical staff act proactively rather than reactively. 

"As a data scientist, I applied for the Eye for AI program because I believe in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration to solve complex challenges. The projects offered a unique platform to not only enhance my technical skills but also to engage with diverse perspectives and real-world applications of AI," says Azalea Alothmani, Eye for AI talent.

The projects, part of Region Skåne's data lake initiative, analyzed real patient data from the hospital's existing systems to help staff better plan and allocate resources, employing technologies such as XGBoost, Random Forest, and SHAP for feature importance analysis.

"The project has exceeded the users’ expectations about how much value AI could create. It's a clear sign that the talents have done excellent work that is now being taken over by permanent staff," notes Johan Åhlén.

Research Innovation at Linnaeus University

At Linnaeus University, talents Jorge Lazo and Daniel Nilsson brought fresh perspectives to diverse research initiatives. 

Jorge worked on pioneering computer vision applications, including developing AI systems to detect Acanthamoeba Keratitis – a serious eye infection condition that can lead to permanent vision loss if not caught early. Using AI and computer vision, the project aims to analyze microscopic eye images more quickly and accurately than current manual methods. Jorge also contributed to a global forest mapping project that uses AI to analyze satellite imagery and field data, which could help a better management of forests and contribute to climate change mitigation.

“The program has allowed me to explore both familiar areas from my PhD and exciting new territories I hadn't had time to investigate before," says Jorge Lazo, Eye for AI talent.

Daniel focused on improving patient safety through AI, developing machine learning models to better predict adverse drug events such as bleeding risks and cardiac complications. Working with ten years of healthcare data from Region Kalmar, covering approximately 280,000 patients, the project aimed to enhance existing risk assessment tools by combining medication data with patient demographics and health records. 
 

“These projects demonstrate how AI can help us tackle both local healthcare challenges and global environmental issues, and Daniel and Jorge have been a valuable asset in their projects. I must admit we’re a little sad to let them go, but are excited to see what they will accomplish at Region Skåne,” says Diana Unander, Research and project coordinator at Linnaeus University.

Investing in talents to strengthen Sweden's AI Ecosystem

As the first rotation concludes, the talents are preparing for their next challenge - Andreas Häggström will move to Linnaeus University, while Jorge Lazo and Daniel Nilsson will join Region Skåne. This rotation system, a unique feature of the Eye for AI program, ensures the cross-pollination of ideas and expertise between partner organizations.

"By helping our partners recruit AI expertise, we're also strengthening the pool of talent and the Swedish AI ecosystem in general," says Sofia Hedén, Head of Talent Programs at AI Sweden. "It is very exciting to see that since we launched our talent programs, over 250 individuals have worked with partners and made a real impact in the Swedish AI community." 

Building on the program's strong foundation - where all talents from the 2021 cohort are now working within Sweden's AI community - this latest group has demonstrated how strategic talent placement can accelerate AI adoption across sectors.

The program is actively seeking new partner organizations, offering them access to highly skilled AI talents who can help drive innovation and digital transformation. 

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