Will the Prime Minister be AI Swede of the Year? 

AI

On August 23, Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson announced that the government will appoint an AI commission. The commission will submit proposals for measures that the government can take, in collaboration with the business community, to ensure that AI is beneficial to society as a whole. This is excellent.  

It is also gratifying that the Prime Minister's description of the Commission includes a certain amount of criticism of the goal of the digitalization policy, which has its roots in the Alliance government: 

"There should be no mumbo jumbo about us being a world leader in x, y or z.", said the Prime Minister. It also sounds like a nod to the previous government's stance that "Sweden should be a leader in taking advantage of the opportunities that the use of AI can provide ...", in the 2018 national direction. 

TechSweden's members already adopted an industry code for AI in 2019. We will see where the Commission's work leads. So far, TechSverige welcomes the focus on business collaboration and the development of concrete measures. 

There is almost a queue to talk about AI at government level. Perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, the impetus came from the Ministry of Culture, where Minister of Culture Parisa Liljestrand has set up an AI unit. Among other things, it will deal with copyright issues and the "risks" of AI writing new music and literature. Erik Slottner, Minister for Civil Affairs, has had the EU AI Act on his desk, but wants to see more. He also believes that the 2018 AI guidelines "are not alive today" and wants to see AI in a comprehensive digitalization policy.  

Leadership at national level is important - more ministers should get involved. Several countries have advanced programs for research on AI and the applications are now coming in a steady stream. So are proposals for regulating AI and initiatives for international cooperation. The issue is on the agenda of the EU and US Trade and Technology Councils. At the UN, the UK hosted an international summit on AI security. The OECD's register of national AI strategies lists 800 initiatives from 69 countries, from Argentina to Vietnam. Sweden needs to stay ahead. 

Finally, TechSverige holds the AI Swedish of the Year award. The award goes to a person who has contributed to the development and visibility of Swedish AI. Maybe the Prime Minister is fishing for a nomination?

Fredrik Sand
Business policy expert
TechSverige