Högakustenbron, Sweden — photo by @andersjilden

The Declaration of Collaboration on AI in the Nordic-Baltic Region

International Strategic Cooperation In the Nordic-Baltic Region From 2018

The Nordic-Baltic Region is one of the few regions that have declared a collaboration on artificial intelligence. The declaration was released in May 2018 and was called simply AI in the Nordic-Baltic Region. It was said within this statement that AI can ‘double the economic growth potential in the long-term’, a bold claim to be sure. There is a high digital maturity in the Nordics.

Sweden is set to lead this collaboration.

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. These are outlined here in this blue area.

This can be more accurately represented here:

From bottom left upwards and down to the right: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

• Improving opportunities for skills development with the goal of enabling more authorities, companies and organisations to use AI.
• Enhancing access to data for AI to be used for better service to citizens and businesses in our region.
• Developing ethical and transparent guidelines, standards, principles and values to guide when and how AI applications should be used.
• The objective that infrastructure, hardware, software and data, all of which are central to the use of AI, are based on standards, enabling interoperability, privacy, security, trust, good usability, and portability.
• Ensuring that AI gets a prominent place in the European discussion and implementation of initiatives within the framework of the Digital Single Market.
• Avoiding unnecessary regulation in the area, which is under rapid development.
• Utilising the structure of Nordic Council of Ministers to facilitate the collaboration in relevant policy areas.

All the different countries in the Nordics are developing AI Strategies specific to the areas.

It is important to note that Faeroe Islands and Åland Islands signed this declaration too. Faroe islands is under Denmark, Åland is under Sweden. By extension Greenland is part part of this too as an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

I wrote a comprehensive piece on Nordic AI strategy previously in 2019:

Scandinavian AI Strategies 2019

I will write more about the Nordic-Baltic region in 2020 especially as developments occur.

This is #500daysofAI and you are reading article 209. I am writing one new article about or related to artificial intelligence every day for 500 days. My current focus for 100 days 200–300 is national and international strategies for artificial intelligence.