In September 2018 a new Swedish government authority – DIGG – began its work on new challenges in digitalization. Sweden’s Agency for Digital Government (DIGG), directed by Patrick Ekemo and Ana Eriksson, has the mandate to establish a new national digital ecosystem in Sweden and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of public administration through extensive use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
To improve the public administration’s ability to use artificial intelligence (AI), DIGG wants the best Nordic AI competence to be involved from the get-go, in one of their first government assignments, in a special project called Open Data, Data-Driven Innovation and AI. With more than 30 years of extensive experience in AI, IIIM’s Director is among the most knowledgeable in this field in Scandinavia. In 2019 a highly qualified group was formed including prominent experts in digital innovation and AI. The group, which includes IIIM Director Dr. Kristinn R. Thórisson, has the primary goal of providing continuous support and external quality assurance to all analyses and planned actions throughout the project.
Together with the eleven other group members, representing a broad range of expertise to help DIGG reach the project goals, a plan is to be published in a detailed report at the end of year 2019. The project, and the AI advisory group, are expected to receive high level visibility in Sweden as well as internationally, as their work with DIGG will likely affect the entire public sector and change the future of many public services. The new government authority DIGG is now ready to get its work started, with its AI advisory group standing behind, ensuring a highly qualitative progress in the AI-related digitalization of Sweden.