Strengthening Artificial Intelligence Research, Center Invited to Support Sweden’s AI Innovation Network

The center, together with the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, has become a partner of the Sweden AI Innovation Center. Founded in February 2019, the Sweden AI Innovation Center is a national initiative aimed at “becoming the engine of Sweden’s AI ecosystem.” Headquartered in Gothenburg, the initiative will provide resources, knowledge, and data to accelerate research and innovation in applied AI. It will connect businesses, academia, and the public sector.

“These technologies are extremely powerful. They will increasingly shape our world — and our planet. It is crucial to make AI understand the state of the Earth,” said Victor Galaz, Deputy Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC). He is also the director of the Beijer Institute and its new project “Governance, Technology and Complexity.”

“This means that algorithm developers should be aware of this new power and responsibility,” he added. “The center is working closely with the Beijer Institute to intensify research on how innovative technologies such as AI can support and undermine sustainable development transformations.”

Purpose and Goals
The goals of Sweden AI Innovation include accelerating applied AI research and innovation through collaboration and cross-industry sharing; developing methods and infrastructures to manage and use large amounts of data; focusing on safety — that is, conducting AI in a controllable and reliable manner; and promoting responsible use of AI and development of fair tools.

This new partnership came into effect on June 11, 2019, aiming to explore the broad impacts of AI’s rapid development and application in society on biosphere sustainability. By connecting with Sweden’s leading AI thinkers and practitioners, SRC and the Beijer Institute aim to formulate new research agendas and collaborations on this rapidly evolving topic.

“We are excited to continue developing the ideas and science in our 2015 ‘Biosphere Rules.’ As these technologies evolve, these principles for deploying new AI become increasingly important.”