How can AI bolster Swedish welfare?

Patrik April 1, 2024 Opinions

The Swedish government has announced an AI Commission, focusing on a pivotal question: How can artificial intelligence bolster Swedish welfare and competitiveness?

The government appoints an AI commission to strengthen Swedish competitiveness Published08 December 2023

The government appoints an AI commission to strengthen Swedish competitiveness. An important step to contribute to the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Sweden.

AI has great opportunities - increased innovation capacity, strengthened competitiveness, more efficient public administration and better welfare. It is potential that Sweden must take advantage of, while at the same time we must manage the risks.

The government decided yesterday to appoint an AI commission to strengthen Swedish competitiveness. The AI Commission will conduct a review of Sweden’s conditions - from education and legislation to how we attract international venture capital - so that Sweden can be in the game, says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Many countries and companies invest heavily in developing technologies for AI. Sweden has the opportunity to play a role in the ongoing development and use of AI. But that requires us to do more than we do today.

Used correctly, AI can contribute to increased innovation capacity, strengthened competitiveness, better welfare and more efficient public administration. We must ensure that Sweden takes advantage of the opportunities while managing the risks in order to realize the full potential of AI. We need concrete proposals that lead to better conditions for competitive, safe and ethical AI development in Sweden, both within the public administration and within business, says Minister of Civil Affairs Erik Slottner.

The AI Commission’s task will be to analyze and come up with concrete proposals on how AI can promote Sweden as a leading research nation, advanced industrial nation and ambitious welfare nation.

The AI Commission must, among other things

Analyze the conditions for, among other things, higher education to be sufficient to meet tomorrow’s needs in AI use and AI development,
Identify how Sweden can act to promote a competitive and safe AI within the EU and globally,
Propose how Sweden should be able to attract venture capital and facilitate innovation for strengthened competitiveness in AI,
Suggest how public administration can be made more efficient by using AI, and
Analyze how the use of AI can affect and promote Sweden’s security and counteract undue influence on democracy

The investigation must be reported no later than July 1, 2025. The AI Commission will continuously keep the Government Office informed about its work.

Members of the AI Commission

The work will be led by Carl-Henric Svanberg, previously, among other things, President and CEO of Ericsson and now chairman of the board of AB Volvo. A number of members with different skills and experience are attached to the commission: