The Conservative Party of Norway sets up an expert committee for artificial intelligence
Party politics expert group set up to identify which political changes are needed for the use of artificial intelligence in Norway
This article is a translation of the announcement from the Norwegian Conservative Party made on the 26th of May.
The Conservative Party is setting up an expert committee to identify which political changes are needed for the use of artificial intelligence in Norway.
The committee consists of some of Norway’s biggest experts on artificial intelligence, among them you will find Inga Strümke, Silvia Seres, Torgeir Waterhouse and Paul Chaffey.
- We must find good solutions that facilitate building expertise in Norway and be far ahead when it comes to using artificial intelligence to create value and solve social problems, while at the same time balancing the need for regulation and boundary setting, says expert committee leader Paul Chaffey.
The committee will come up with proposals for how Norway can use the potential in the use of AI, but also how we can protect ourselves from the potential dangers we face.
- This is a very competent group of people who want to contribute to policy development in an area where specialist expertise is absolutely necessary. It is together with subject expertise that we can politically set frameworks and stimulate a good use of AI. We cannot ban ourselves from the use of AI in important areas of society, as certain parties seem to believe, says Linda Hofstad Helleland, former Minister for Districts and Digitalisation.
The former digitization minister believes that it is high time to raise the ethical debate AI faces us in all parts of Norwegian society.
- The ethical dilemmas we are faced with require knowledge-based and thorough debates in the public discourse. We must not end up in one or the other ditch, by being naive in our optimism or so afraid that we choose the line of prohibition. We need a good discussion about what we want to achieve with the use of AI in Norway, says Hofstad Helleland.
The expert committee must look in particular at four issues:
What opportunities for the use of AI in the public sector provide better and more efficient services?
- How can we ensure that the public sector and education make use of the technology in a responsible, safe and valuable way?
How can AI create new jobs and contribute to increased value creation?
- Identify areas where Norway has a competitive advantage and can take an international position.
Do we need regulations in addition to the EU’s AI Act for the use of AI that safeguards Norwegian values and principles?
- How to prepare applicable regulations, which do not seem to inhibit innovation for the public and private sector? A challenge today is that the regulations and reality do not always agree. The legal text can overlook complex, but important, nuances in the technology, which makes the regulations difficult for technologists to understand.
Is there a need for algorithm supervision?
- There will be a need for supervision of the regulations, but how it is organized is of great importance for whether we succeed in realizing the possibilities of the technology. What mandate should an artificial intelligence supervision have, and should it be organized as a new supervision or part of existing structures
The members of the expert group:
The members of the expert committee are basically independent experts with no party affiliation to the Conservative Party. Certain members are nevertheless associated with the Conservative Party in various ways.
- Paul Chaffey (committee chairman), studio manager at Halogen and former secretary of state
- Inga Strümke, researcher in AI and physics, board member of the Norwegian Council for Digital Ethics and best-selling author with the book "Machines that think"
- Torgeir Waterhouse, partner and founder of Otte and former director of IKT-Norge
- Silvija Seres, CEO and founder of Lorn.Tech and technology investor
- Shahzad Rana, board advisor Digital Norway and former technology director at Microsoft Norway
- Cecilie Hellestveit, researcher on war and international law
- Georg Riekeles, director of the European Policy Centre
- Kirsti Kierulf, managing director of the Norwegian Municipal Technical Association
- Bård Standal, director of Fornybar Norge
- Sebastian Næss Langaas, CEO of Cruit
- Dag Håkon Steinset Myrdal, senior advisor at Aker Solutions Subsea
- Jørn Haukøy, general manager at CODE11
- Kai Røer, CEO and founder of Praxis Security Labs
In addition, the following politicians sit on the expert committee.
- Linda Hofstad Helleland, former district and digitization minister
- Bård Ludvig Thorheim
- Anne Kristine Linnestad
- Margret Hagerup
