Top politicians and business leaders gather with AI Sweden at Almedalen
For three days, political decision-makers and some of the most influential leaders from the business community and the public sector gathered in AI Sweden's garden in Almedalen. The discussions focused on sovereignty, defense innovation, the future labor market, healthcare, and the necessary conditions for businesses to increase competitiveness and growth.
"This year's program has been the strongest and most high-profile yet," says Karin Vajta Engström, Director of Communications at AI Sweden.
From left: Karin Hübinett (moderator), Mikael Damberg (S), Spokesperson for Economic Policy and Erik Slottner (KD), Minister of Civil Affairs and Digitalization
Sweden's national AI strategy served as the starting point for two of the week's panel discussions. The government's ambition is for Sweden to become the best in the world at utilizing AI in the public sector. But what will it take for Sweden to achieve this ambitious goal? Andrea Lewis, communications and public affairs lead at Lovable, shared her perspective, highlighting insights and challenges from within one of Sweden's fastest-growing new companies. Following this, Minister for Public Administration Erik Slottner (Christian Democrats) discussed the issue alongside the Social Democrats' economic policy spokesperson, Mikael Damberg. All three agreed that Sweden must now step up to turn ambition into concrete action.
In the seminar "World Leader in AI for Healthcare? How Sweden Takes the Next Step," Aida Hadžialić (Social Democrats), regional finance councilor and chair of the regional executive board in Region Stockholm; Lukas Saari, co-founder and CEO of Tandem Health; and Nasim Bergman Farrokhnia, founder and CEO of Atiana Health, discussed the path forward for Swedish healthcare.
Participants: Erik Slottner (KD), Minister of Civil Affairs and Digitalization, Mikael Damberg (S), Spokesperson for Economic Policy, Andrea Lewis, Communications & Public Affairs Lead, Lovable, Mikael Ljungblom, Director of Public Policy & International Relations, AI Sweden
Participants: Aida Hadžialić (S), Regional Councilor for Finance and Chair of the Regional Executive Board, Region Stockholm, Mattias Bjarnegård, Director of Development, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Linda Corsvall, Director of Development, National Board of Health and Welfare, Lukas Saari, CEO, Tandem Health, Nasim Bergman Farrokhnia, Founder and CEO, Atiana Health, Lorna Bartram, AI Transformation Strategist – Healthcare, AI Sweden
This year's program has been the strongest and most high-profile yet. It is proof that AI has reached the executive level in an increasing number of companies and organizations. This is a highly welcome and crucial step for Sweden to realize and maximize the value of the technology.
Karin Vajta Engström
Director of Communications at AI Sweden.
Sovereignty, Technological Freedom of Action, and Defense Innovation
Another major issue over the past year has been sovereignty and Sweden's technological freedom of action. The international arena is changing rapidly, and civil prosperity, technological development, and national security are intertwining in ways that create new dependencies and power dynamics.
AI Sweden has previously argued that an operational strategy is needed for how Sweden should build capacity, reduce vulnerable dependencies, and strengthen its freedom of action. This was precisely the theme of the seminar "Sovereignty and Alliances in the AI Era – How Does Sweden Secure Its Freedom of Action in a New Geopolitical Landscape?" Carl Heath, senior researcher at RISE, provided an introduction to the topic, mapping out the global playing field. Following this, Center Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist and Timbro's CEO, PM Nilsson, discussed how Sweden should navigate this changing world.
The issue of defense was also on AI Sweden's agenda at Almedalen. On Thursday, Minister for Defense Pål Jonson (Moderate Party) participated in a discussion with Jonny Lindfors, former chief of the army within the Swedish Armed Forces and newly appointed Swedish military representative to the NATO Military Committee, alongside Laurent Saunier, head of unit at Vinnova. The conversation, moderated by Tommy Schönberg, head of defense innovation at AI Sweden, focused on innovation as a defense capability in Sweden's future defense.
All of AI Sweden's seminars from Almedalen are available at: www.ai.se/almedalen.
Participants: Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist (C), Party Leader, Carl Heath, Senior Researcher, RISE, PM Nilsson, CEO, Timbro
Participants: Pål Jonson (M), Minister of Defense, Jonny Lindfors, Chief of the Army, Swedish Armed Forces, Laurent Saunier, Director of the Health Division, Vinnova, Tommy Schönberg, Head of Defence Innovation and moderator, AI Sweden
AI Sweden at Almedalen
Over the course of three days, AI Sweden had:
- 9 seminars on our own
- 6 seminars of which were held in collaboration with partner organizations
- The seminars spanned 10 different themes, including sovereignty, healthcare, competitiveness, innovation, defense, the labor market, and skills.
- 45 unique panelists and speakers
Curious about the discussions?
All seminars from AI Sweden's garden in Almedalen 2026 were recorded and are available at ai.se/almedalen.
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AI Sweden is formally hosted by Lindholmen Science Park AB.