Lightning Talk #247 Nordic AI Centre the Nordic Baltic Path in Responsible AI

Summary

This discussion focused on the launch of New Nordics AI, a strategic initiative funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers to accelerate AI adoption and innovation across the Nordic and Baltic regions. Fredrik Siversen from ICT Norway explained that the project began over a year ago with AI Sweden and has now secured initial funding with support from all Nordic governments. The initiative aims to address the concerning decline in Nordic countries’ global AI rankings, despite their reputation for digital maturity, with rankings dropping from 23rd to 24th position globally.

The center will serve a combined population of over 30 million people across the Nordic and Baltic countries, representing the world’s 10th largest economy. Siversen emphasized that Nordic businesses already operate with regional matrices and leadership structures, making this collaboration a natural extension of existing relationships. The primary goals include speeding up AI adoption across businesses and public sectors, strengthening Nordic leadership in AI, and ensuring all organizations develop AI strategies.

Marianne Wilhelmsen, State Secretary from Norway’s Ministry of Digitalization, highlighted the importance of trustworthy AI, particularly for public sector applications where trust is essential currency. She noted that Nordic countries share democratic values, transparency principles, and human rights commitments that provide a strong foundation for collaboration. The initiative will focus on developing language models for Nordic languages, building competence in small and medium-sized enterprises, and leveraging the region’s high-quality data, especially in healthcare.

Both speakers emphasized the Baltic countries’ contributions, particularly Estonia’s digital leadership and innovations like Bolt. The center officially launches in Helsinki in October, and they are currently seeking a managing director based in Stockholm.

Keypoints

**Major Discussion Points:**

– **Launch and funding of New Nordics AI initiative** – The Nordic Council of Ministers has funded a strategic initiative to accelerate AI adoption and innovation across Nordic and Baltic regions, with an official launch planned for October in Helsinki

– **Nordic competitiveness concerns in AI** – Despite being digitally mature, Nordic countries are dropping in global AI rankings (from 23rd to 24th position), highlighting the need to speed up AI adoption to maintain competitiveness against global trends

– **Regional collaboration advantages** – The Nordic-Baltic region represents 30+ million inhabitants and the world’s 10th largest economy, sharing common democratic values, cultural ties, and business frameworks that make collaboration natural and effective

– **Public-private cooperation and data sharing** – Discussion of how government and private sector can better collaborate, particularly around high-quality Nordic data (especially healthcare data) and upcoming EU data spaces initiatives

– **Implementation priorities and trust** – Focus on developing trustworthy AI systems, particularly for public sector use, while helping small and medium-sized businesses adopt AI safely and effectively

**Overall Purpose:**

The discussion serves as an announcement and explanation of the New Nordics AI initiative, aimed at informing stakeholders about this new regional collaboration to accelerate AI adoption and maintain Nordic competitiveness in the global AI landscape.

**Overall Tone:**

The tone is consistently professional, optimistic, and collaborative throughout. Both speakers maintain an enthusiastic yet pragmatic approach, acknowledging challenges (dropping AI rankings, competitiveness concerns) while emphasizing opportunities and shared Nordic values. The tone remains constructive and forward-looking from start to finish, with no significant shifts in mood or approach during the conversation.

Speakers

– **Moderator**: Role – Discussion moderator/host; leads the lightning talk session about New Nordics AI

– **Marianne Wilhelmsen**: Title – State Secretary of the Ministry of Digitalization and Public Governance; Area of expertise – Government digitalization policy, AI strategy implementation, public sector digital transformation

– **Fredrik Syversen**: Title – Director for Strategy and Business Development at ICT Norway; Area of expertise – Private sector technology advocacy, AI adoption in business, Nordic technology collaboration (Note: Name appears as both “Fredrik Siversen” and “Fredrik Syversen” in transcript, but refers to same person)

Additional speakers:

None identified beyond the provided speakers names list.

# New Nordics AI Initiative: A Strategic Response to Regional AI Competitiveness Challenges

## Executive Summary

This discussion centred on the launch of New Nordics AI, a strategic initiative funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers to accelerate artificial intelligence adoption and innovation across the Nordic and Baltic regions. The conversation featured Fredrik Syversen, Director for Strategy and Business Development at ICT Norway (the private interest organization for technology companies in Norway), and Marianne Wilhelmsen, State Secretary of the Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance.

The initiative, which started a little over a year ago with AI Sweden, emerges from concerns about maintaining Nordic competitiveness in AI whilst leveraging the region’s strengths in digital maturity and democratic values. Both speakers emphasised the need for accelerated AI adoption to sustain the Nordic welfare state model amid demographic challenges.

## Initiative Background and Rationale

### AI Competitiveness Concerns

Syversen highlighted concerns about Nordic AI performance, noting challenges in global AI rankings: “when the AI wave hit us, we kind of didn’t take it as seriously as we should.” However, Wilhelmsen referenced Oxford Insights data suggesting Norway ranks considerably higher, particularly due to strong public sector digitalisation. The speakers were referencing different indices, illustrating varying assessments of regional AI standing.

### Demographic and Economic Context

Syversen provided context for the initiative’s urgency: “all the Nordics I think those for all Europe what we’re heading at is more less money and less people. That’s not a good combination.” This demographic reality positions AI as essential for societal sustainability.

The combined Nordic and Baltic region represents over 30 million inhabitants and constitutes the world’s 10th largest economy, providing significant leverage for regional cooperation.

## Structure and Objectives

### Funding and Governance

The initiative has secured funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers with support from all Nordic governments. Funding confirmation came last week, and the centre will officially launch in Helsinki in October during Finland’s Nordic Council presidency.

The centre is currently recruiting board members and seeking a managing director to be based in Stockholm. Applications are being accepted through the new-nordics-ai website.

### Core Objectives

The centre’s primary goals include:

– Accelerating AI adoption across business and public sectors

– Strengthening Nordic leadership in artificial intelligence

– Ensuring comprehensive AI strategy development across organisations

– Leveraging regional advantages in data quality and democratic values

– Facilitating public-private collaboration

## Regional Collaboration Benefits

### Natural Partnership Foundation

Both speakers emphasised that Nordic collaboration builds on existing relationships. Syversen noted that “Nordic businesses already operate with regional matrices and leadership structures,” making AI collaboration a natural development.

Wilhelmsen highlighted shared “democratic values, transparency principles, and human rights commitments” as foundations for developing trustworthy AI systems aligned with regional governance principles.

### Baltic Integration

The inclusion of Baltic countries offers strategic advantages. Wilhelmsen praised Baltic nations’ “agility in technology adoption and strong public sector transformation,” whilst Syversen highlighted Estonia’s leadership: “Estonia leads Europe in digital innovation with companies like Bolt, providing valuable expertise.”

Baltic integration provides expanded talent pools, innovation capacity, and opportunities for collaborative language model development, particularly between Finnish and Estonian languages.

## Implementation Priorities

### Trustworthy AI Focus

Trust emerged as a central theme. Wilhelmsen emphasised that “trustworthy AI is essential, especially for public sector applications where trust is the most important currency.” She referenced implementation challenges in Norwegian municipalities, acknowledging real-world failures in AI-based decision-making systems.

This focus on trust distinguishes the Nordic approach, reflecting the region’s governance values and public sector requirements.

### Data Sharing and European Integration

Wilhelmsen identified high-quality data as a key Nordic advantage, particularly in the health sector. Both speakers acknowledged the importance of European data spaces in health and energy sectors, with Syversen describing these as “mandatory collaboration opportunities.”

Norway is developing new data sharing legislation and establishing a data prioritisation council to facilitate strategic data sharing whilst engaging with European frameworks.

## Next Steps and Timeline

### Immediate Priorities

– October launch in Helsinki with ministerial participation

– Board recruitment and managing director selection

– European data spaces engagement in health and energy sectors

– AI Act implementation targeted for next summer

– Continued development of data sharing legislation

### Strategic Positioning

Syversen highlighted that Nordic cooperation enables influence in European AI policy: “coming from Norway, we can piggyback on our Nordic neighbours to influence what is happening in the European Commission.” This positioning provides access to EU AI funding and amplifies Nordic influence in European policy development.

The collaboration addresses Norway’s position as a non-EU member seeking participation in European AI initiatives, using Nordic partnerships as a bridge to broader European engagement.

## Conclusion

The New Nordics AI initiative represents a strategic response to competitive pressures and demographic challenges facing the Nordic and Baltic regions. Built on shared values and complementary capabilities, the collaboration aims to accelerate AI adoption whilst maintaining the trustworthy AI principles that distinguish the Nordic approach.

Success will depend on effective implementation of the planned October launch, successful recruitment of leadership, and maintaining alignment between public and private sector stakeholders. The initiative offers a distinctive model for regional AI cooperation that balances rapid adoption with democratic values and public sector requirements.

Moderator: Welcome to this lightning talk here about the new Nordics AI. Last week we got the news that the Nordic Council of Ministers are funding a strategic initiative called New Nordics AI. The objective of this initiative is to accelerate AI adoption and innovation across the Nordic and Baltic region. Here to talk more about this regional initiative is Marianne Wilhelmsen, State Secretary of the Ministry of Digitalization and Public Governance, and Fredrik Siversen, Director for Strategy and Business Development at ICT Norway, and one of the partners in this new initiative. Fredrik, tell us more about New Nordics AI.

Fredrik Syversen: I will. First of all, thank you. As you said, my name is Fredrik Siversen. I work daily for ICT Norway, which is the Norwegian translation. We are the public. We’re not the public, we’re the private interest organization for technology companies here in Norway. So with that said, this project started a little over a year ago with interest from the Nordic Council of Ministers, started off in Sweden with our partner AI Sweden, and then took it further with partners all over the Nordics. And as you mentioned, last week we got the confirmation from our funding partner, the Nordic Council of Ministers with Nordic Innovation, that we have secured the initial funding for getting started. And this is a project that is supported by all the governments all over the Nordics. And we also have to mention that by time we expect all the Baltic countries to be a part of the Nordic AI Center. So this is a little bit of the backdrop. I think all Nordic countries are seen as mature digitally, and that is of course very true. But if you look at how we look at the global AI index, the picture is not so pleasant to look at. We are actually dropping from 23 to 24. There’s lots of reasons to that, and I guess State Secretary can probably dive into some of the reasons. But I think the lesson learned here is that we are pretty mature from the get-go, and when the AI wave hit us, we kind of didn’t take it as seriously as we should. And the opportunity is not missed, but we have to speed up, and that’s the reason behind the center. And as we come from Europe, we have been bombarded with different reports from the European Commission on the state of business in the European area. And it’s not so pleasant to read that either. And those of you who have read the Drager Report, we know that the competitiveness of Europe needs to be sped up, and that also goes from Norway. So that’s kind of the backdrop as well. And why the Nordics? So Nordics combined with the Baltics, almost a little over 30 million inhabitants, 10th largest economy in the world. That’s a widow without the Baltics, to be honest. But still, it gives an opportunity not to be missed, both in terms of the size, but not the least in terms of what we can present to the world when it comes from Nordic values, Nordic opportunities, Nordic innovation, so forth, so on. And what are we going to achieve? So give me a hands up when I’m reaching my five minutes here. But I think what we are really looking forward to, and really are eager to, is to speed up adoption. We need all our businesses, we need all our public sector to at least have some strategy concerning AI. And that’s kind of the raison d’etre, and that’s what we are really aiming at. And we have projects in the get-go that will actually achieve this. We need stronger both national and Nordic leadership, and that is also one of the reasons behind this Nordic project. And of course, when you are looking at it from inside out, from Norway to the Nordics, all of our businesses are mostly in all Nordic countries. They are led Nordically, their internal matrix is almost always Nordic. I have to say, all the headquarters are not always in Norway, they have to be in Sweden or Copenhagen for some reason. But the opportunity here is there, and we are ready to launch. So this coming fall, October, we are gathering in Helsinki, you’re all welcome. The Finland is heading the Nordic Council of Ministers that half year, hence we’re in Helsinki, and the launch will be there with hopefully a lot of ministers. We have an election before that, so let’s see. But that’s where we’re going to start. So just to end up with this slide, that if you’re interested to work with us, these are some of the people that you can contact depending on the country. But I think all of us are interested to hear from you. So that’s my five minute pitch to why you should be a part of the Nordic AI Center. So Katrine, back to you.

Moderator: Thank you, Frederik. Marianne, why are Norway and the other ministries funding this center?

Marianne Wilhelmsen: Thank you, and thank you for the invitation. And of course, also just want to take the opportunity to thank everyone here for coming to this year’s IGF and engaging in all the various discussions. Well, first of all, we need to accelerate the AI adoption, and we have a strong and long history of collaborating with our neighbors. Not just because they’re our neighbors, but of course, because we have a lot in common, as Frederik says. We have cultural ties. We share the same democratic values, freedom of speech, transparency, human rights, and working together to be able to share experiences and create arenas where we can collaborate, I think will be very important for us to be able to accelerate and speed up the adoption. So when it comes to this initiative, it’s a really important initiative, and I am very, very glad that it got the funding. In terms of the Nordic cooperation, is this particularly important in these days, both towards Europe and the world in general? I would say so. And of course, I see we see it, this IGF is also a testament of our strong ties. This year, later today, we’re having a reception together with the Nordic Council. Just a little bit later today, I’m having lunch with my colleagues from the Nordics and the Baltics over at the hotel just by here. So definitely an important time, of course, with everything happening around in the world. And I think when it comes to AI, we have a lot we can collaborate on. The language models, for example, ensuring that we have large language models that are built on our languages and also our contexts. We need to get, as Frederik said, the small and the medium-sized companies to be able to adapt, building competence in all areas. We see it’s a huge challenge when it comes to that, to having knowledge and competence on how to adopt AI, especially in a safe and secure way in the small and medium-sized businesses, as well as in the public sector, especially. So working together on initiatives like this can help mitigate those risks and also unlock some of the large opportunities that we have.

Fredrik Syversen: Yeah, I just want to emphasize that, I mean, the Nordics, at least we like to pride ourselves in having shared value sets and shared the business mindset as well. We can always argue that there are differences between us, but I think from a European perspective, you would say that if you look up north, where the Nordics lie, if you look at the map, it’s where much of the innovation, if you look at the fastest-growing innovation, some of the indexes will point north when it comes to Europe. And I think that opportunity is not to be missed, especially coming from Norway. Norway has to be said, it’s not a part of the European Union, but we are as close as it gets, to put it like that, we’re inside the internal market. But from that perspective also, coming from Norway, we can piggyback on our Nordic neighbors to influence what is happening in the European Commission and Europe at large. But also, I think if you look at, there’s some new conflict lines here, it has to be said, over the Atlantic that has not been there before. So in that perspective, also, I think working more on the Nordic level is very much politically correct these days. That being said, I think also it makes total business sense. And I think that is kind of the fuel that we are needing to get this engine off the ground and get this plane in the air, so to say. And I think we also have opportunities inside the European R&D environment being kind of a setup already for being a part of different European initiatives, especially, of course, on the AI, which if you look at all the numbers that have been flying around, it’s billions of euros that’s going to be heading not our particular way, but going to AI. And we need to take our fair share of that coming from the Nordics. That’s a given.

Marianne Wilhelmsen: And I just also want to say, like earlier, you showed us some numbers on where Norway, for example, stand, and there are definitely. Challenges, but we also had you know in our government We recently launched our digitalization strategy and one of the the follow-ups from that is that we have These governmental digital forums where the ministers come together and just a few weeks ago We had AI on the agenda there and we have had Oxford Insights coming president the global index on AI readiness And we saw that Norway is Not as bad as you your numbers show We’re we’re quite far high up and one of the reasons for that is our strong public sector and how digitalized it is And I think when we bring together all the Nordic countries, we have different perspectives. We have different challenges and we have different What can I say like? Stuff that we do great, you know where we where we accelerate and we when we bring those those together we can all kind of Learn from each other and build and an increase Get up on those numbers

Moderator: This center is called the new Nordics AI So it’s also including the Baltic countries, even not if they’re not part already, but it will be How do you think the Baltic states can strengthen this cooperation?

Marianne Wilhelmsen: well, like I just said I It will add added value we see that the Baltic countries they have Shown a lot like agility in and adopting technology and I think that They also have a strong public sector and and has shown that the transformation in the public sector as well That they have yeah a lot of efforts in Accelerating that so I think we have a lot to learn from each other and then also, of course the the talent pool that we can bring in so Being close And collaborating also with the Baltics. I think it’s a Nice like it adds value to this Nordic initiative.

Fredrik Syversen: I just want to add on that I mean everybody knows of the of the Estonian miracle So to say that they’re kind of leading Europe in some parts at least and we all know We all know bolt, of course coming out of Estonia. We’ve already used but well on that note I mean innovation that comes out of the Baltics are kind of top top top and The possibility to kind of link into that and to use that as a fuel for further Nordic new Nordic collaborations I would say that’s going to be extremely important and I can’t wait to get those Partners on board because that will really set a new agenda for how we can work both inside the EU but also Towards global interests. I think we also need to kind of acknowledge that what’s happening in the Baltics here are super super important Especially we it’s easy to forget Lithuania Latvia But also these countries have great innovations coming out of their their countries And as you said, they’re also like big on public sector and it shouldn’t be too big but but big is okay And I think to draw upon that it’s also interesting. Of course, there’s some language There as well Finnish and Estonian is very closely linked. There’s something other with Lacta and Lithuania Scandinavia’s closely so working on this language models, which also kind of a side project to this center is also Getting better if you get the Baltics on board

Moderator: You mentioned the Norwegian strategy the digitalization strategy What are the key priorities for the Norwegian government in terms of AI and digitalization?

Marianne Wilhelmsen: Well, first of all, we need AI that we can trust And of course when you see I know I’m talking a lot about the public sector here So I’ll get on to to the business sector as well When we see that we adopt AI in the public sector trust is essential because it’s our most important currency and we’ve had municipalities in Norway leveraging AI and creating reports as decision-making foundation and it went To say at least and we need to learn from those mistakes, you know, and and ensure that those kind of usage of AI Does not happen but in Norway, we we see AI as a tool to To nationally, you know secure our welfare state and secured equal opportunities for all we need to work more efficiently In order to to keep the level up and we also see it as a tool for the digital and green transformation So those are the most kind of important things that are also reflected on the on the agenda here at IGF right now and of course We are implementing the AI act We’re gonna be ready Yes the same time as rest of the Europe next summer at least we’re working as as fast as we can to enable that and have put in place a lot of Infrastructure the the work on the large language models and And come what do you call it again high-tech computing no the law Yeah Sorry, but at least computing with powers, of course, yeah, and and We want it to we’ve created AI Norway, which is like the government’s AI Arena and we wanted to help accelerate adoption and and not be Not be something like a barrier but more Help make sense

Fredrik Syversen: I just want to say that I mean from a business perspective I think if you don’t get on the AI train, you’re about to lose your business some companies Especially in my business which is software business if we’re into package software You have delivered the same meal all over the years Some of these things can be done like in two seconds not two seconds, but maybe two minutes So you need to change your models and you need to change your business models fast because we don’t want to be left behind I think that’s super super important and I don’t think we kind of wake up and kind of face that reality That’s going to be very important for this center to get that awareness out on the public sector side. I agree totally I mean all the Nordics I think those for all Europe what we’re heading at is more less money and less people That’s not a good combination And I think we have left we kind of want to it in the toolbox That’s technology and technology with AI is something other than just technology and if you look at the health care sector the Opportunities there are so great. And if we kind of put that value set in the bottom or in the top if you like to create those Opportunities or does that Solutions based on AI that is something really can drive our public sector to be not only trustworthy Because that’s super important. But also that we trust that the Service delivery is going to be there. That’s also going to be an issue where you have less people So there’s a lot of issues that is concerning air, but also concerning that the society at large

Marianne Wilhelmsen: Yeah and I just want to add to that of course that AI is only as Good as the data that you train it on and I think that when it comes to Nordic countries and I can mainly speak for Norway We have a lot of high quality data, especially from the health sector and having initiatives And infrastructures or platforms where we can share that kind of data as far as we can I think that will be very important not only for For the public sector and for the health care, for example, but also for our businesses going forward

Moderator: Yeah, that brings me on to the next question in that is You’re representing public your private. How can the public and private maybe cooperate better, especially in terms of data sharing?

Marianne Wilhelmsen: Well, I think that these kind of arenas are one of the Like the best starting points that we have to ensure collaboration and to have like contact points where we can get together and and talk and see the challenges and also what kind of like Well, what is the status on the regulations? What do we need to improve? Where are the barriers for us to be able to share for example the the data or to accelerate within a large no small and medium-sized businesses.

Fredrik Syversen: Well, I just want to mention if coming from Europe you may be familiar with the data spaces that the European Union are Trying to provide these days. It’s going to be one in energy It’s going to be especially one in health coming up in the next three four years and then so on and so forth These are spaces that are going to create just to share data and if the Nordics can work together on that one inside the European health spaces that will be an opportunity that we have to take because this is something that’s going to be mandatory for all our Countries even Norway, but we’re outside the European Union health is first energy is second These are two projects that we already are working on in the Nordic AI Center So that is something that just needs to be done in in the Nordic Nordic framework so to say.

Marianne Wilhelmsen: and I think when it comes to for example data in the health ministry Which is not my ministry. I know that there are a lot of processes as an and Regulation work going on right now in my ministry. We are working with the new data sharing law that will come later this This year hopefully and also a new data Prioritization kind of council that would help us map out which kind of data we should prioritize to share first

Moderator: Thank you so much. So what’s next for the center now Frederick?

Fredrik Syversen: It’s summer holiday, I wouldn’t say that but we’re looking forward to October, of course, so we need to get our things together We’re looking for board members. We’re looking for the initial set of we actually looking for a managing director at these days for the they are eccentric if you want to work out of Stockholm be the GM of the Nordic AI Center, please look at our website new Nordic say I and Apply because that’s what we are looking forward now is to get the managing director on board. That’s going to be the first step

Moderator: Thank you, Marianne Frederick and good luck with new Nordic say I thank you. Thank have a great day You

Agreement points

Baltic countries bring valuable innovation and expertise to Nordic collaboration

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

Estonia leads Europe in digital innovation with companies like Bolt, providing valuable expertise

Baltic countries demonstrate agility in technology adoption and strong public sector transformation

Summary

Both speakers agree that Baltic countries, particularly Estonia, offer significant technological expertise and innovation capacity that will strengthen the Nordic AI initiative through their proven track record in digital transformation and successful companies.

Topics

Development | Economic

Nordic collaboration is natural and strategically advantageous

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

Combined Nordic and Baltic region represents 30+ million inhabitants and 10th largest economy globally, creating significant opportunity

Strong cultural ties, shared democratic values, and common business mindset make Nordic collaboration natural and effective

Summary

Both speakers emphasize that Nordic countries have strong foundations for collaboration based on shared values, cultural ties, and economic scale, making regional cooperation both natural and strategically beneficial.

Topics

Economic | Sociocultural

AI adoption acceleration is urgently needed

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

Nordic countries are digitally mature but dropping in global AI rankings from 23rd to 24th position, requiring acceleration

AI adoption acceleration is essential to maintain welfare state and ensure equal opportunities

Summary

Both speakers agree that despite Nordic countries’ digital maturity, there is an urgent need to accelerate AI adoption to maintain competitiveness and sustain public services.

Topics

Development | Economic

Public sector efficiency through AI is crucial for future sustainability

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

Businesses must adopt AI quickly or risk losing competitiveness, particularly in software sector

AI serves as tool for digital and green transformation while securing welfare state efficiency

Summary

Both speakers recognize that AI is essential for maintaining efficiency and competitiveness in both private and public sectors, with particular emphasis on the public sector’s need to deliver services with potentially fewer resources.

Topics

Development | Economic

High-quality data is a Nordic competitive advantage

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

European data spaces in health and energy sectors provide mandatory collaboration opportunities

Nordic countries possess high-quality data, especially in health sector, valuable for AI development

Summary

Both speakers acknowledge that Nordic countries have access to high-quality data, particularly in the health sector, which represents a significant competitive advantage for AI development and European collaboration.

Topics

Infrastructure | Legal and regulatory

Similar viewpoints

Both speakers view European integration and compliance as strategically important, with Fredrik emphasizing funding opportunities and influence, while Marianne focuses on regulatory alignment and institutional development.

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

Nordic collaboration allows influence in European Commission decisions and access to billions in EU AI funding

Norway implementing AI Act alongside EU and establishing AI Norway as government’s AI arena

Topics

Legal and regulatory | Economic

Both speakers see linguistic and cultural connections as practical advantages for collaboration, with Fredrik focusing on language model development and Marianne emphasizing talent pool expansion.

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

Language connections between Finnish-Estonian and other regional languages support collaborative language model development

Baltic inclusion expands talent pool and adds innovation capacity to Nordic collaboration

Topics

Sociocultural | Development

Unexpected consensus

Trust as fundamental requirement for AI implementation

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

Businesses must adopt AI quickly or risk losing competitiveness, particularly in software sector

Trustworthy AI is essential, especially for public sector applications where trust is the most important currency

Explanation

Despite Fredrik representing private sector interests focused on rapid adoption and competitiveness, and Marianne representing public sector concerns about trust and reliability, both implicitly agree that successful AI implementation requires balancing speed with trustworthiness, suggesting a mature understanding that rushed adoption without proper safeguards could be counterproductive.

Topics

Human rights | Legal and regulatory

Data sharing infrastructure requires both regulatory framework and collaborative platforms

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

European data spaces in health and energy sectors provide mandatory collaboration opportunities

New data sharing law and data prioritization council being developed to facilitate strategic data sharing

Explanation

There is unexpected alignment between the private sector representative’s focus on European data spaces as business opportunities and the public sector representative’s emphasis on regulatory frameworks, suggesting both sectors recognize that successful data sharing requires both top-down regulation and bottom-up collaboration platforms.

Topics

Legal and regulatory | Infrastructure

Overall assessment

Summary

The speakers demonstrate remarkably high consensus across all major discussion points, including the strategic value of Nordic-Baltic collaboration, the urgency of AI adoption, the importance of leveraging high-quality data, and the need for both public and private sector transformation. Their agreement spans economic, regulatory, and sociocultural dimensions.

Consensus level

Very high consensus with complementary perspectives rather than conflicting viewpoints. The private and public sector representatives reinforce each other’s arguments while bringing different sectoral expertise. This strong alignment suggests favorable conditions for successful implementation of the Nordic AI initiative, as key stakeholders share common understanding of challenges, opportunities, and strategic approaches.

Different viewpoints

Assessment of Nordic AI competitiveness position

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

Nordic countries are digitally mature but dropping in global AI rankings from 23rd to 24th position, requiring acceleration

Norway is not as bad as Fredrik’s numbers show, ranking quite high up due to strong digitalized public sector

Summary

Fredrik presents a more pessimistic view of Nordic AI competitiveness citing dropping rankings from 23-24th position, while Marianne counters with Oxford Insights data showing Norway ranking much higher, particularly due to its strong public sector digitalization

Topics

Economic | Development

Unexpected differences

Contradictory assessments of Nordic AI performance despite representing the same initiative

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

Nordic countries are digitally mature but dropping in global AI rankings from 23rd to 24th position, requiring acceleration

Norway is not as bad as Fredrik’s numbers show, ranking quite high up due to strong digitalized public sector

Explanation

It is unexpected that representatives of the same Nordic AI initiative would present contradictory data about their region’s AI competitiveness. This disagreement on fundamental performance metrics could undermine the credibility of their joint initiative and suggests lack of coordination on key messaging

Topics

Economic | Development

Overall assessment

Summary

The discussion shows minimal direct disagreement, with the main conflict being contradictory assessments of Nordic AI competitiveness rankings. Most differences stem from sectoral perspectives rather than fundamental disagreements.

Disagreement level

Low level of disagreement with moderate implications. While speakers generally align on goals and strategies, the contradictory performance data presents a credibility issue that could affect stakeholder confidence in the initiative’s leadership and coordination.

Partial agreements

Similar viewpoints

Both speakers view European integration and compliance as strategically important, with Fredrik emphasizing funding opportunities and influence, while Marianne focuses on regulatory alignment and institutional development.

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

Nordic collaboration allows influence in European Commission decisions and access to billions in EU AI funding

Norway implementing AI Act alongside EU and establishing AI Norway as government’s AI arena

Topics

Legal and regulatory | Economic

Both speakers see linguistic and cultural connections as practical advantages for collaboration, with Fredrik focusing on language model development and Marianne emphasizing talent pool expansion.

Speakers

– Fredrik Syversen
– Marianne Wilhelmsen

Arguments

Language connections between Finnish-Estonian and other regional languages support collaborative language model development

Baltic inclusion expands talent pool and adds innovation capacity to Nordic collaboration

Topics

Sociocultural | Development

Key takeaways

The New Nordics AI initiative has secured initial funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers to accelerate AI adoption across Nordic and Baltic regions

Nordic countries are digitally mature but falling behind in global AI rankings (dropping from 23rd to 24th), requiring urgent acceleration efforts

The combined Nordic-Baltic region represents 30+ million inhabitants and the 10th largest economy globally, creating significant collaborative opportunities

Trustworthy AI is essential, particularly for public sector applications where trust is the primary currency

AI adoption is critical for maintaining welfare states, ensuring equal opportunities, and supporting digital/green transformation

High-quality Nordic data, especially in healthcare, represents a valuable asset for AI development and training

Public-private collaboration through initiatives like this center is essential for addressing regulatory barriers and accelerating adoption

Baltic countries bring valuable agility in technology adoption and innovation capacity to strengthen the partnership

Resolutions and action items

Center will officially launch in Helsinki in October during Finland’s Nordic Council presidency with ministerial participation

Currently recruiting board members for the Nordic AI Center

Actively seeking a managing director to be based in Stockholm – applications being accepted through new-nordics-ai website

Working on European data spaces projects in health and energy sectors within the Nordic framework

Norway implementing AI Act alongside EU with target completion by next summer

Developing new data sharing law and data prioritization council in Norway

Unresolved issues

Specific timeline for full Baltic country integration into the initiative remains unclear

Details about funding amounts and long-term financial sustainability not specified

Concrete mechanisms for data sharing between countries and public-private sectors need further development

Specific strategies for addressing the gap in AI competence among small and medium-sized businesses require more detail

How to effectively coordinate language model development across different Nordic and Baltic languages needs clarification

Suggested compromises

None identified

But if you look at how we look at the global AI index, the picture is not so pleasant to look at. We are actually dropping from 23 to 24… when the AI wave hit us, we kind of didn’t take it as seriously as we should.

Speaker

Fredrik Siversen

Reason

This comment is particularly insightful because it challenges the Nordic countries’ self-perception as digital leaders. It introduces a sobering reality check that contradicts the common narrative of Nordic digital excellence, suggesting complacency may have led to falling behind in AI adoption.

Impact

This comment set the tone for the entire discussion by establishing urgency and justifying the need for the Nordic AI Center. It shifted the conversation from celebration of Nordic digital achievements to acknowledgment of current deficiencies and the need for accelerated action.

I mean all the Nordics I think those for all Europe what we’re heading at is more less money and less people. That’s not a good combination. And I think we have left we kind of want to it in the toolbox. That’s technology and technology with AI is something other than just technology.

Speaker

Fredrik Siversen

Reason

This comment provides a profound demographic and economic reality check, identifying the fundamental challenge facing Nordic societies: declining resources and aging populations. It positions AI not just as an opportunity but as a necessity for societal sustainability.

Impact

This observation deepened the discussion by moving beyond business competitiveness to existential societal challenges. It reinforced why AI adoption is critical for maintaining Nordic welfare states and public services, adding weight to the public sector focus of the initiative.

AI is only as good as the data that you train it on and I think that when it comes to Nordic countries… We have a lot of high quality data, especially from the health sector

Speaker

Marianne Wilhelmsen

Reason

This comment is insightful because it identifies a unique Nordic competitive advantage – high-quality data, particularly in healthcare. It shifts the focus from Nordic weaknesses to potential strengths and strategic assets.

Impact

This comment redirected the conversation toward Nordic advantages and practical collaboration opportunities. It led directly to the subsequent discussion about data sharing between public and private sectors and European data spaces, opening up concrete pathways for the center’s work.

We need AI that we can trust… it’s our most important currency and we’ve had municipalities in Norway leveraging AI and creating reports as decision-making foundation and it went… to say at least

Speaker

Marianne Wilhelmsen

Reason

This comment introduces the critical concept of trust as the foundation of AI adoption in the public sector, while acknowledging real failures. It’s thought-provoking because it connects Nordic values (transparency, trust) with practical AI implementation challenges.

Impact

This comment elevated the discussion from technical and economic considerations to fundamental questions of governance and public trust. It established trust as a central theme and differentiated the Nordic approach from purely efficiency-driven AI adoption models.

Coming from Norway, we can piggyback on our Nordic neighbors to influence what is happening in the European Commission and Europe at large… there’s some new conflict lines here… over the Atlantic that has not been there before.

Speaker

Fredrik Siversen

Reason

This comment reveals sophisticated geopolitical thinking, acknowledging how Nordic cooperation can amplify influence within EU structures while hinting at changing transatlantic relationships. It positions the AI center within broader strategic considerations.

Impact

This comment broadened the discussion’s scope from regional cooperation to global strategic positioning. It introduced the idea that Nordic AI collaboration has implications beyond technology adoption – it’s about maintaining influence and relevance in a changing global order.

Overall assessment

These key comments fundamentally shaped the discussion by establishing a narrative arc from complacency to urgency to strategic opportunity. Fredrik’s initial reality check about Nordic AI rankings created the foundational tension that justified the entire initiative. The demographic challenge comment deepened this urgency by connecting AI to societal sustainability. Marianne’s observations about trust and data quality then pivoted the conversation toward Nordic competitive advantages and values-based differentiation. Finally, the geopolitical positioning comment elevated the discussion to strategic statecraft level. Together, these comments transformed what could have been a routine policy announcement into a nuanced exploration of Nordic identity, challenges, and opportunities in the global AI landscape. The interplay between the speakers – with Fredrik providing business urgency and Marianne offering governmental perspective on trust and regulation – created a comprehensive framework for understanding why Nordic AI cooperation is both necessary and potentially transformative.

How can we ensure all businesses and public sector organizations develop AI strategies?

Speaker

Fredrik Siversen

Explanation

This was identified as a core objective of the Nordic AI Center – ensuring all businesses and public sector have at least some strategy concerning AI, but the specific mechanisms weren’t detailed

What are the specific reasons behind the Nordic countries dropping in global AI rankings from 23 to 24?

Speaker

Fredrik Siversen

Explanation

Fredrik mentioned there are lots of reasons for this decline but deferred to the State Secretary for details, which weren’t fully explored

How can small and medium-sized businesses safely adopt AI technology?

Speaker

Marianne Wilhelmsen

Explanation

This was identified as a huge challenge requiring knowledge and competence on safe and secure AI adoption, but specific solutions weren’t detailed

How can Nordic countries secure their fair share of European AI funding (billions of euros)?

Speaker

Fredrik Siversen

Explanation

Fredrik mentioned billions of euros going to AI initiatives in Europe but didn’t specify the strategy for Nordic countries to access this funding

What specific mechanisms will enable better public-private data sharing?

Speaker

Moderator

Explanation

While both speakers acknowledged the importance of data sharing and mentioned some initiatives, the specific practical mechanisms for implementation weren’t fully explored

How will the Nordic AI Center integrate with European data spaces (health, energy)?

Speaker

Fredrik Siversen

Explanation

Fredrik mentioned these are mandatory projects the center is already working on, but the integration strategy and timeline weren’t detailed

What will be the governance structure and operational model of the Nordic AI Center?

Speaker

Fredrik Siversen

Explanation

While Fredrik mentioned they’re looking for board members and a managing director, the overall governance structure and operational model weren’t fully outlined