"Now we need both modern legislation and strong partnerships."
Meet Hélène Barnekow, CEO of Microsoft Sweden.
Tech is a new basic industry that contributes to the development of a large number of areas in society. How does Microsoft contribute?
Microsoft has a 35-year history in Sweden with many strong partnerships in various industries and sectors of society. Through digitalization, we want to strengthen the opportunities for individuals, companies and society to make Sweden a world leader. That is why we are investing in Sweden's digital infrastructure and in our ecosystem to drive a digital transformation that will provide public and private organizations with new opportunities for innovation. We are also helping to raise digital skills in Sweden through various training initiatives and collaborations. This provides a strong digital foundation for the future growth of society.
What is the biggest change we will see in your field in the next 5-10 years?
Digital technologies will become an increasingly important part of our personal and professional lives. With the help of AI, we will be able to do the work we do today with higher quality and more efficiently. In the next 5-10 years, we will see a wave of increasing automation, for example in healthcare and transportation. We will also discover more and more how AI can support us in understanding the world by analyzing texts, images and other data around us.
What does Sweden need to do to attract more global tech companies?
"As a country, we need to work on all parameters, such as technology, our know-how and policy making. We have fallen behind in some areas, especially in the public sector. This has complicated many digitalization projects in Sweden. Now we need to establish both modern legislation that supports decision-makers to be able to digitize their operations and strong cooperation on education and skills in IT.