https://fcai.

fi

“Artificial intelligence doesn’t exist in a vacuum.

We promote AI that benefits society and industry
and helps solve the real-life problems of real
people.”
It is estimated that artificial intelligence will lead to similar economic and
societal changes as those created by machine automation in the manufacturing
industry. AI will significantly boost productivity in information-intensive
industries , such as healthcare, social care, education, and government. Work
and employment will be drastically impacted by the transformation it brings.
For many companies, the implementation of AI in their products or services is
a matter of survival.

The Finnish government has launched a national AI Strategy that outlines a set
of key actions. FCAI will play an integral role in Finland’s AI Strategy to
realize the potential for AI-led economic growth.

FCAI research and impact actions enable industrial renewal and promote the
transformation of society  through the effective and ethically responsible
application of AI. By connecting pioneering academic expertise and top talents
with industry and the public sector we are creating impact in multiple ways, in
accordance with four impact dimensions: scientific, economic, societal, and
educational.

Scientific impact
The biggest scientific added value of FCAI research stems from the novel AI
solutions that can be applied across a variety of different fields.  We maximize
the positive impact of AI by  working together with top experts in an increasing
number of scientific disciplines, business domains, and societal initiatives. The
resulting new insights leverage and inspire new AI methods.

FCAI aims for three kinds of scientific results:

1) Within AI research, the next generation of solutions, which are able to

both learn from data and to plan and simulate , will open doors to the
development of AI with new capabilities.  

2) Our Research Programs are solving fundamental technical problems —

enabling new kinds of solutions in machine learning and modelling.

3) AI is badly needed in many scientific fields, but the shortcomings of current

AI systems are bottlenecks to AI being widely adopted. The new AI is
therefore expected to have a massive scientific impact across fields
illustrated by our five ambitious Highlight Programs .
Economic impact
FCAI will play a key role in Finland’s AI Strategy to realize the potential for
AI-led economic growth by enabling and supporting industrial and societal
renewal. By successfully applying AI,  Finland can reach a €20-billion and 8%
annual boost in GDP by the year 2023 . With focused AI-based activities in
business, net employment can increase by up to 5%.

Our research results – real AI that is data efficient, trustworthy, and

understandable – accelerate the renewal of existing businesses and generate
new AI-driven ones. We will also put results into practical use in the public
sector.

FCAI forms an ecosystem that enables strong international academic

networking with private and public sectors  and creates new possibilities for
collaboration and synergy, technology transfer, recruitment, and knowledge
exchange.

FCAI for industry and public sector

We invite companies and the public sector to get involved and work with
FCAI. Investments in close research collaboration help companies stay up to
date and benefit from newest innovations. Collaboration also brings companies
brand visibility and access to top talent in academia. In a field where experts
are hard to come by, the recruitment possibilities that follow are invaluable.

There are various ways to collaborate with FCAI. Typically, research

collaboration starts with one joint project. Greatest benefits come from
research that is fundamental, long-term and concerns strategically selected
themes.
Educational impact
A major bottleneck for the adoption of AI in industry and society is the lack of
experts at all levels. Continuous learning and life-long education were
identified as major challenges in a recent government report on the societal
effects of AI. Moreover, successful implementation of AI in society requires
that the general public considers new applications trustworthy and ethical.

The objective of our educational activities is to increase the competence of

both the workforce and the general public. We educate future experts through
universities’ curricula, increase the competence of professional workforces
with AI training, and organize unique MOOCs for the general public to provide
AI literacy for all.

Societal impact
FCAI’s research seeks to create significant positive impacts on humanity.
Ethics, fairness, accessibility, transparency, as well as security and privacy are
directly integrated into the technical goals of our research. We hold that access
to AI must not be restricted to a small group of experts. Decisions made or
supported by AI must be transparent and accountable,   as well as fair and non-
discriminatory.

Solutions to these grand challenges form a large portion of FCAI’s research

agenda , including the Research Program AI in society which is designed to
explore the social and ethical dimensions of AI, including both the
preconditions of trustworthy and socially acceptable AI and the consequences
of AI use.

FCAI is structured to facilitate the wide dissemination of research results into

society—ranging from industries to the public sector to individual citizens—
across diverse fields of application. We are actively participating in strategy
work, policy discussions and in advisory bodies to facilitate the ethically
sustainable integration of AI into society.

To promote societally conscious applications of AI,  FCAI has also founded the
FCAI Society , a multi-disciplinary working group to consider the socio-ethical
and cultural impact AI will bring.

FAIR kick-off drew two hundred participants as the demand for AI

for business increases
The services of the Finnish AI Region, or FAIR, were officially opened at an
event organized on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. The opening of FAIR gathered
more than two hundred curious participants, including many representatives of
the Finnish business world.

Teemu Moilanen from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, who was

responsible for organizing the event, says that he was surprised by the positive
reception of the event among companies. “More than a hundred companies had
registered for the event. It shows that there is a real need for our services in
Finland. SMEs in Finland are serious about expanding and deepening the use
of artificial intelligence in their business,” he says.

The keynote speakers of the event were Ilona Lundström, Head of the
Enterprise & Innovation Department at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and
Employment, FAIR's Kalle Toivonen from the City of Helsinki, and
Microsoft's Lukas Lundin, with topics ranging from the importance of
artificial intelligence to the use of ChatGPT and, of course, FAIR's service
offering.

After the talks, it was time for open discussion and networking, during which
the participants could ask FAIR's experts more about the services and possible
collaboration.

FAIR consists of ten partner organizations that provide its services as a

network. The cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa, Aalto University,
University of Helsinki, Haaga-Helia and Metropolia Universities of Applied
Sciences, KIRA InnoHub, IT Center of Science CSC and European Innovation
and Technology Institute EIT Digital. Also, Enter Espoo is an affiliated entity.

FAIR’s operates in association with ABB, Arcada University of Applied

Sciences, Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District HUS, Microsoft, Varian
Medical Systems Finland, the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council and the
Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence FCAI. FAIR is one of the European
Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH). The network's operations are funded by the
European Union together with Business Finland and the Helsinki Innovation
Fund.

FCAI and Aalto EE have joined forces for programs

around AI
Aalto University Executive Education (Aalto EE) and the Finnish Center of
Artificial Intelligence FCAI are cooperating in AI training programs that are
designed for executives, managers, and experts from different organizations.
The programs have proven to be an impactful way of learning while working.
The first deliveries of the programs have received excellent feedback and the
next programs are coming up in the fall.  

Artificial Intelligence in Business

An intensive two-day program “ Tekoäly liiketoiminnassa – teknologiasta
strategiaan ” provides leaders with a practical and comprehensive overview of
artificial intelligence, data, and emerging business models and their impact on
strategy, operations, and leadership. Taught by leading researchers in the field,
the program focuses on issues such as the applications of artificial
intelligence, the prerequisites for its implementation, and the strengths of
people and AI. The program is held in Finnish.

Diploma in Artificial Intelligence

The Diploma in Artificial Intelligence gives you an in-depth understanding of

the latest AI technologies and methods and how to apply them. The program is
taught by experts from leading research organizations and includes keynotes
from leading companies in industry. It is a joint program from Aalto PRO,
University of Helsinki HY+ and the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence
FCAI.

According to Suunto’s Program Quality Manager  Ville Halkola, the program

opened up the huge potential and possibilities of AI in a very concrete way.
Read more here .

https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/ai-in-finland-from-relatable-stories-towards-ai-ecosystems/

Finland is experiencing dynamic growth in the number of companies that are developing and / or
using artificial intelligence (AI) in their business. This is illustrated by comparing the total of 947
such companies in 2019 with only 358 in 2017. Furthermore, AI-focused companies may be found
across the country, but three out of every four companies in Finland that are developing or using AI
are, nonetheless, located in Uusimaa region (ETLA 2019). The body of companies developing or
employing AI is currently rather homogeneous and mainly composed of software development and
programming companies. However, efforts are being made to grow the AI capabilities of Finnish
companies across sectors, with a special focus on the SMEs that form 98 per cent of the country’s
registered businesses.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
 Finland is focusing on building AI ecosystems, where businesses, researchers, and
policymakers work together to develop and implement AI solutions that benefit society.
 To achieve this goal, Finland is investing in education and research, creating a favourable
policy environment, and promoting collaboration and openness.
 Finland’s approach to AI is centered on human-centric values, such as trust, transparency,
and accountability, and aims to harness AI’s potential to create a better future for all.
___________________________________________________________________________

https://digital-skills-jobs.europa.eu/en/inspiration/research/finland-ai-policy-innovation-and-
future-work-and-learning-2022
In the international literature, Finland has had one of the top performing education
systems for more than two decades. Its innovation performance rests on a high trust model of
business innovation and quality public services funded through the public purse in areas such
as education, research and social welfare. Today, the sustained success of its approach now
depends on creating the building blocks for a better future of work in a context of rapid
technological advances in AI and related technologies, where it seeks to be a world leader
of human-centred digital innovation.

The country, therefore, provides a unique opportunity for understanding the narratives, policy
interventions, which shape perceptions the future of work and education in Europe. Finland
has more recently introduced three major strategic initiatives:

 The AI strategy: Finland’s Age of Artificial Intelligence

 The Future of work 2030

 The reform of continuous learning

In this respect, the government’s approach to the implementation of the continuous learning
reform with the establishment of the National Service Centre for Continuous Learning to
stimulate further supply of short skills-based courses, and the strategy and vision proposed by
the innovation fund SITRA through a model of localised ecosystems of skills formation and
based on systematic experimentation present two distinct scenarios for realisation of Finland
as a learning intensive society. The latter model could situate Finland as a globally leading
country showing new avenues to a digitally inclusive society and a future of work
underpinned by a sense of personal agency, competence, and personal meaning. In such a
scenario learning in ecosystems may materialise in ways so that working life renews
competence and competence renews working life.

Through the lens of the Finnish AI strategy process and the recent continuous learning
reform, the paper discusses the deployment of foresight as a means to address critical
uncertainties and plausible futures as means of long-term policy making. Secondly, the paper
illustrates that even though Finland has built substantial futures capabilities, challenges
remain when it comes to policy implementation. Issues emerging relate to who is invited to
the table and the latent risks of groupthink. More importantly however, Finnish experiences
suggest there is a need to consider how foresight methods can inform policy
implementation processes, and what that would entail in terms of institutional arrangements
and capabilities
https://lasserouhiainen.com/how-finland-adapts-to-the-future-of-artificial-
intelligence/

According to Lasse Rouhiainen, an expert in disruptive technologies,

universities must tackle structural reforms to adapt to the new demands of the
labor market.

For every report stressing that artificial intelligence (AI) will eliminate millions

of jobs, there is another one with the opposite message, calling for calm,
stressing that this technology will generate endless jobs and even give rise to
professions that do not yet exist. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2020 the jobs
created by AI will outnumber those destroyed by the same disruption: 2.3
million versus 1.8 million.

But in practice, this positive balance does not directly translate into
opportunities for all. To illustrate, Lasse Rouhiainen, author of Artificial
Intelligence: 101 things you should know today about our future, uses the
following example: in the hypothetical scenario of a taxi driver being left
without work due to the emergence of autonomous vehicles in public transport,
it may not be so easy to reposition him quickly as a chatbot developer, or in
another similar job, due to lack of the appropriate knowledge or skills.

“It is very good to highlight the impact of AI in terms of job creation, but the
problem is that many people who lose their jobs will need a reeducation to
qualify for these new positions, so we should all be preparing for it,” says
Rouhiainen.

https://practiceguides.chambers.com/practice-guides/artificial-intelligence-2023/
finland/trends-and-developments
General Framework
Finland is making significant strides towards becoming a frontrunner in the digital economy,
with a particular emphasis on the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI). The
government and public authorities have introduced various programmes and guidelines to
foster the growth and adoption of AI, recognising its potential to transform both the economy
and society. Below, we detail some of the primary objectives set forth by the Finnish
government:

 Finland aims to become a trusted and secure pioneer in the digital economy by 2025.
  The Artificial Intelligence 4.0 programme, intimated by the Ministry of Economic
Affairs and Employment of Finland, is aiming to make Finland a leader in the twin
transition by 2030.

 The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has also set a goal to retain and
attract the best talent and professionals in the field.

 The Finnish government aims to establish effective information exchange and

interoperability between different services and platforms, providing a powerful tool
for businesses and organisations.

 The Finnish government aims to ensure that Finland fully leverages digitalisation and
technological development, eliminating barriers between the public and private
sectors.

 At the same time, it is committed to maintaining a balance between the interests of

individuals, companies and society as a whole in the use of new technologies and AI,
while also ensuring ethical sustainability through innovation.

 Broadly speaking, Finland aims to become a global leader in the application and use
of AI in both the public and private sectors.

 Additionally, it aims to set the trend within the EU by establishing fair, consumer-
oriented principles for AI use.

To achieve these objectives, the Finnish government and public authorities have implemented
several programmes and guidelines, including:

 the national Artificial Intelligence Programme, launched in 2017 (Finland was one of
the first countries to launch such a programme);

 the Artificial Intelligence 4.0 programme, designed to promote the development and
adoption of AI and other digital technologies, with a particular focus on small and
medium-sized enterprises in the manufacturing sector (2020-2022);

 the National Artificial Intelligence programme, AuroraAI, to develop an AI-powered

technical solution, resulting in the AuroraAI network in 2022;

 building a strong and distinctive digital economy, where close collaboration between
the public and private sectors is essential;

 leveraging Finland’s strengths, such as its highly motivated research groups that
specialise in emerging sectors, such as unsupervised learning, its vibrant start-up field
and the close co-operation between research institutions and companies;

 working to strengthen the technological capacity of the public sector and to further
develop public-private partnerships; and

 the key role played by the Finnish Centre for Artificial Intelligence (FCAI) in
promoting Finland’s strengths on the global stage.
Business Finland, a Finnish governmental funding agency, supports the development of AI
technology through several key funding programmes:

 the AI Business Programme, boosting development, growth and internalisation of

Finnish AI companies with a total budget of over EUR 200 million (2018-2021); and

 the joint Research, Development and Innovation Programme ICT 2023: Frontier AI
Technologies of Academy of Finland and Business Finland; the aim of the
programme is to fund high-quality scientific research, which is also expected to have
a scientific and social impact.