This statement is made by Dr Inga Strümke from NTNU – The Norwegian University for Science and Technology.

She participated as a speaker and in the discussion panel at AI+ 2022, and the statement above is a part of her answer to our question about how she sees the development of AI.

– AI should develop according to our actual needs. Not only with our short-term desires but also in line with our long-term goals meaning sustainability goals and ethical values, Strümke said.

The experienced NTNU researcher warned against a societal development where social media feed the population with poisonous input influencing people in a bad way.

– The intention is to make money out of it, and it is powered by data analysis, meaning AI. This huge social experiment should not be happening, and I think we are going to regret that further down in history, Strümke said.

In her opinion, a big challenge in society is to identify and decide which problems we want AI to solve and what we do not want to be interfered with by AI – even though it means making money.

Simula Consulting was founded for a main reason; bringing the fruits of technological research to society, and the ambition of CTO Omar Richardson is for Simula Consulting to become the go-to organisation for the most complex problems in tech.          

The 2020-founded R&D consultancy company focuses on products and services in deep tech and AI.

Simula Consulting harnesses AI to solve its customers’ problems. An AI-driven underwater fish separator prototype, built by the Simula Consulting team in collaboration with local partners, achieved excellent results in classifying and catching fish when deployed last summer. 

The device uses computer vision to separate the indigenous Atlantic salmon from the invasive pink salmon, a species not wanted in Norwegian river ecosystems.

Receiving international acknowledgement for the novel product and its good results, Simula Consulting’s work contributes to biodiversity. 

Learn more about Simula Consulting below.

A short presentation of the company

My name is Omar Richardson, CTO of Simula Consulting. We are an R&D consultancy company that focuses on products and services in deep tech and AI. We aim to push beyond the state of the art by incorporating cutting-edge technologies into business-ready products and services. A subsidiary of Simula Research Laboratory, we were founded in 2020 and have grown rapidly.

How do you use AI in the company?

We harness AI to solve our clients’ most challenging problems. This can be either essential tasks that fall outside the core business or transforming how employees reach their goals. For me, deep tech really comes to life when you sit down with domain experts and work out what the innovation looks like together. You know you’ve made a difference when enabling something that wasn’t even considered possible before.

Tell about a recent success story from your company or an exciting project you are working on.

My team and I are building an AI-driven underwater fish separator that uses computer vision to distinguish between the indigenous Atlantic salmon and the invasive pink salmon, a species that has increasingly been wreaking havoc on the Norwegian river ecosystem in the last ten years. Our collaboration with local partners resulted in a prototype deployed in the summer of 2022 and did a fantastic job in classifying and catching fish. It has been incredibly exciting to work on and rewarding to see the international recognition it received for its beneficial impact on biodiversity.

What goals does the company have for the future?

My ambition is for Simula Consulting to become the go-to organisation for the most complex problems in tech. We were founded on one of the core values of the Simula group: bringing the fruits of technological research to society. I believe that our relentless team of data scientists and engineers, supported by the excellent research units in Simula Research Laboratory, are in a key position not just to bring value to our customers but advance technology as a whole.

Why do you sponsor the AI+ conference?

I believe that technology serves society and that it is our duty to do whatever we can to ensure it stays that way. The AI+ conference is one of the main platforms in Norway to share knowledge, have open discussions and connect with people on AI. It is vital to support such initiatives so that we can keep making conscious decisions about where technology should go.

Facts about the company:

• Name of business: Simula Consulting AS              
• Number of employees: 15
• Location: Oslo
• Industry: ICT
• Briefly about the product/service: Cutting-edge deep tech development and AI consultancy

Decommissioning nuclear research plants requires expertise across various fields, which makes it a complex task.

Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) is a government-owned company established to ensure the safe and cost-effective decommissioning of nuclear facilities, as well as the management of waste, repurposing of materials, and environmental remediation of the affected areas.

AI is a technology that may enable segments of the decommissioning to be done in a simpler and more efficient manner. This is particularly important regarding tasks that pose a high risk to human workers. In such cases, machine learning, robotics and AI can be used to do the job.

Learn more about NND below.

A short presentation of the company

NND is responsible for decommissioning and environmental remediation of the sites that were earlier used for nuclear research.

How do you use AI in the company?

We are looking into the possibilities. Also taking into consideration safety issues.

Tell about a recent success story from your company or an exciting project you are working on.

NND develops a waste management IT solution. It might not sound so sexy, but it is important to build a modern yet robust, user-friendly and secure program that has the capability to keep track of millions of parts and their unique set of characteristics. For decades or even centuries, we must be able to go back and find where one certain piece is located

What goals does the company have for the future?

NND will clean the sites earlier used for nuclear research so that our children won’t have to worry about radioactive waste.

Why do you sponsor the AI+ conference?

The AI+ conference is a great opportunity to learn more about this fast-moving and highly important subject.

Facts about the company:

• Name of business: Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND)
• Number of employees: 38
• Location: Halden
• Industry: Nuclear Decommissioning and waste management
• Briefly about the product/service: We will clean up the sites formerly used for nuclear research.

Computas provides digital solutions and consulting services within IT, cloud, and big data, and their expertise lies primarily in public administration, health, energy, and logistics.

The company was founded in 1985, and AI has been a part of its DNA since the beginning. Computas was the first company in Norway to deliver systems based on applied artificial intelligence.

This experience and expertise were highly appreciated and needed in the process towards the Norwegian Museum of Science & Technology’s opening of a new, permanent AI exhibition in 2022. The museum wanted input and someone to help them realise the ideas, and from the project’s early idea phase in 2019, Computas contributed with advice on technology, technical solutions, and software.

Computas is 100 % owned by its 330 employees in Oslo, Trondheim, Malmö, Copenhagen and Bucharest.

Learn more about Computas below.

A short presentation of the company

Computas is a Nordic provider of digital solutions and consulting services within IT, cloud, big data, and AI. We deliver value-adding solutions benefiting the public for both the public and private sectors, and our expertise lies especially in public administration, health, energy, and logistics. Our interdisciplinary teams offer the expertise required throughout the digitization process. We work closely with our customers to develop tailor-made solutions with high usability.

Computas was established in Norway in 1985, initially as a subsidiary of Det Norske Veritas (now DNV GL) working with AI. Today the company is 100% owned by its 330 employees in Oslo, Trondheim, Malmø, Copenhagen and Bucharest.

How do you use AI in the company?

AI has been part of our DNA since we were founded in 1985. We were the first company in Norway to deliver systems based on applied artificial intelligence. This has been a sustainable foundation for the development and growth of the company and has gained renewed relevance through today’s focus on big data, artificial intelligence, and cloud-based solutions.

Tell about a recent success story from your company or an exciting project you are working on.

In 2022 Norwegian Museum of Science & Technology opened a new, permanent AI exhibition, and we are very proud to have contributed to this with our expertise. The museum wanted both ideas and input and, not least, a sparring partner who could guide them to ideas that could be realised. From the project’s early idea phase in 2019, Computas contributed with advice on technology, technical solutions, and software. For three years, Computas summer students were also tasked with creating various content for the exhibition.

What goals does the company have for the future?

Computas is 100% owned by its 330 dedicated employees. We care about people and society, and the company has a proud history of bridging the gap between technology and humans since the 80s.  Today, technology is an important part of businesses and people’s daily lives. But there are still many challenges to be solved. Digitalization and AI are important parts of the solution. We want people to experience Computas as a company that takes part in creating meaningful solutions for people, for society and for customers – in a way that creates excitement!

Why do you sponsor the AI+ conference?

We sponsor and participate in the AI+ conference because AI is more relevant than ever, and we want to share our expertise and experience. Through this, we hope to contribute to businesses and society in succeeding with the innovative, efficient, and ethical use of AI.

Facts about the company:

• Name of business: Computas
• Number of employees: 330
• Location: Oslo, Trondheim, Copenhagen, Malmö and Bucharest
• Industry: IT services and consultancy
• Briefly about the product/service: https://computas.com/en/services/consultancy/

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not just a futuristic technology or an exclusive tool for experts; it’s all around us, and its influence on society is growing by the day. To better understand the impact of AI and explore its potential, it’s essential to have a platform where those who are interested in AI can meet, discuss, and learn from each other.

Christopher Frenning, a representative from Microsoft Norway, attended AI+ 2022 and emphasized the importance of bringing researchers, economists, politicians, and other stakeholders together to share their perspectives on AI’s role in shaping society.

According to Frenning, Microsoft believes in democratizing access to AI to ensure that everyone benefits from this technology. From fundamental research to developing AI technologies and making them accessible to all, Microsoft is committed to making AI available to everyone.

Thanks to Microsoft’s platform, companies worldwide can build practical, real-life AI applications and contribute to the ongoing digitalization and innovation process. AI is a powerful tool that can positively impact our daily lives and help build companies and services that make our society a better place.

Kantega has a task of national significance ahead when collaborating with Enova in making the governmental company more data-driven. With a yearly investment of four to six billion NOK in climate and energy measures, Enova is a central actor in helping Norway reach its climate targets. With the help from Kantega, Enova’s solutions for support schemes will be improved through a new data- and analysis platform. Working with analytical data in a new and more efficient way will be a great contribution to Enova’s success in their mission.

Learn more about Kantega below.

A short presentation of the company

Kantega is an IT consulting company 100% owned by the employees. Our mission is to help our clients build business-critical software systems. We aim to be a one-stop shop by having a broad range of expertise ranging from data scientists, data engineers, cloud architects, UX designers, full stack developers, as well as consultants with deep skills in areas such as innovation and business development, security, system integration and test & quality management.

Our clients dominate domains such as banking & finance, the public sector, mobility, and green energy.

How does Kantega use AI?

We use AI in many ways depending on our customers’ needs, ranging from using computer vision to identify objects in a video stream to developing machine learning models to predict default on bank loans.

We also aim to take our own medicine by becoming more data-driven in our own organization, using AI to improve our core processes. We are experimenting with various machine learning techniques, including the new GPT models from Open AI.

Tell about a recent success story from the company or an exciting project you are working on.

In our most recent project, which will run through 2023, we will help Enova become a more data-driven organization. Norway has set ambitious climate targets, and Enova will contribute through support schemes and advice on which measures have the most significant effect. Part of the contribution from Kantega will be to establish a new data- and analysis platform and new ways of working with analytical data to make Enova succeed in their mission.

What goals does the company have for the future?

We believe that our clients will have to become more data-driven in the future, and we aim to help them succeed in their digital transformation. Part of the success will be to combine business understanding, deep technical skills, and a cross-functional approach where people with different competencies work together.

Why does Kantega sponsor the AI+ conference?

Conferences like AI+ are an excellent opportunity for us to meet with new potential partners and clients and gain new insights into tech, needs and solutions. 

Facts about the company:

• Name of business: Kantega AS
• Number of employees: 200
• Locations: Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen
• Industry: IT Consulting
• Briefly about the product/service: Helping our clients build mission-critical software systems for their businesses.