AI+ 2024 Surpasses its Predecessor in Size and Quality

Following the many highlights of day 1 – the second day of AI+ 2024 was packed with insightful sessions and engaging discussions, continuing the tradition of delivering high-quality content and fostering meaningful connections among AI enthusiasts.

For some, the day started early with an AI+ morning jog in Halden city center, while others were enjoying their morning brew. At 09:00 the first part of the day started with three parallel sessions. One session focused on the business part of AI, the second focused on risk, and the third focused on AI and education.

Three different perspectives on AI

AI+ business discussed how AI is transforming businesses across various industries, highlighting its impact on efficiency, productivity, and innovation. It emphasizeds the importance of AI in decision-making processes, enabling companies to make data-driven choices and gain competitive advantages. The business session also explored the challenges businesses face when adopting AI, such as data privacy concerns and the need for skilled professionals.

At the risk session speakers from the Institute of Energy Technology, Proactima, and Eggen.ai explored the potential dangers associated with artificial intelligence. They discussed various scenarios where AI could pose risks, such as unintended consequences, bias, and the potential for misuse. The speakers emphasized the importance of addressing these risks proactively to ensure the safe development of AI technologies and the importance of managing AI risk to harness its benefits while mitigating potential harm.

The AI+ education session was held at Halden City Hall. Østfold University College (HiØ) organized a session on AI in the university and college sector. HiØ believes that the sector has a unique starting point for success with AI, which in turn can lead to increased collaboration in research, improved study programs, and a business and public sector that is better able to utilize AI technology.

Ethical and responsible AI discussions

After lunch with time for some food and mingling at Byparken, it was time for the main session of day 2.

Morten L Dahlback from Faktisk.no led the first discussion, joined by Jan Ketil Arnulf and Alex Moltzau. They explored how AI, while aiding in the spread of misinformation, also plays a vital role in our search for truth. By utilizing machine learning and complex algorithms, AI can analyze huge amounts of data faster than human fact-checkers. However, questions arise about whether we can trust machines to guide us to the truth or if they might lead us astray. The panel highlighted the importance of understanding AI`s impact on information reliability and the need for critical thinking in evaluating AI-generated content.

The second panel, led by Gard Støe from AIBA and Nora Antonsen from NAYA, discussed the importance of ethical AI in today’s business landscape. They emphasized that ethical AI is not just a moral responsibility but also a competitive advantage. The panel explored how organizations can turn ethical guidelines into strategic advantages amidst growing competition.

In the third panel, moderated by Marianne Hagelia from HiØ and Ole Tom Seierstad from Microsoft, speakers Hugo Berg Otterlei and Nicolai Halbo from Simonsen Vogt Wiig discussed the balance between technological progress and societal values. They highlighted the need for thoughtful regulations that can foster innovation while protecting societal interests.

Read also: Award-Winning Salmon Innovation presented at AI+ 2024

The final panel, led by a summarization from an AI, and moderated by Kjetil Staalesen from LO, Ingvild Strand von Krogh from Abelia, Jan Kjetil Arnulf from BI, and Eli Haugerud from Smart Innovation Norway, focused on navigation AI adoption for business value. The discussion revolved around how Norwegian businesses can leverage AI to create real value and differentiate themselves in a competitive global market while adhering to ethical standards and regulations.

The conference concluded that while AI presents immense opportunities, businesses must navigate complex ethical, regulatory, and societal landscapes to maximize its potential benefits.

Thank you all for being a part of AI+ 2024 – we are already counting down the days until we can reunite and continue the AI revolution together!

Award-Winning Salmon Innovation presented at AI+ 2024

Omar Richardson is the CTO at Simula Consulting and has been working closely together with Huawei Norway and Troll Systems to optimize the salmon trap. Results from the pilot in Storelva in Berlevåg are promising, and last year the trap sorted out more than 6.000 fish of the unwanted specie pink salmon. At AI+, Richardson and his colleagues were proud to showcase the award-winning AI solution. PHOTO: AI+ / Stein Johnsen, ContentVideo.no — Omar Richardson is the CTO at Simula Consulting and has been working closely together with Huawei Norway and Troll Systems to optimize the salmon trap. Last year, the trap sorted out more than 6.000 fish of the unwanted specie humpback salmon. Richardson and his colleague showcased the award-winning AI solution at AI+ 2024. PHOTO: AI+ / Stein Johnsen, ContentVideo.no

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the conservation efforts for Norwegian Atlantic salmon by effectively identifying and sorting out humpback salmon during their migration upriver to spawn. The trap system was showcased during the AI+ Exhibit, and the solution has already gained international attention.

At AI+, the spotlight is on applied artificial intelligence (AI), and the conference showcases numerous examples of AI in action.

Read also: AI+ 2024 Surpasses its Predecessor in Size and Quality

Among the highlights of the 2024 program was the AI+ Exhibit, a new feature that provided sponsors and partners with a platform to showcase their innovations to the 371 in-person attendees (463 in total).

Simula Consulting was one of the AI+ sponsors using the AI+ Exhibit as an arena to meet potential customers and partners, engage with the conference attendees, and share their knowledge and expertise. PHOTO: AI+ / Stein Johnsen, ContentVideo.no

Among the exhibitors was Simula Consulting, a sponsor of AI+ 2024, which presented an exciting application of AI technology.

Two Prestigious Awards

In partnership with Huawei Norway and Troll Systems, the technology company has pioneered a solution that utilizes artificial intelligence to detect and divert unwanted humpback salmon, known as ‘pukkellaks’ in Norwegian, into a specially designed trap, preventing them from reaching the river to spawn.

The trap system has been tested in Storelva in Berlevåg in cooperation with the Berlevåg Hunting and Fishing Association, yielding promising results. In 2023, the trap helped prevent over 6,000 humpback salmon from reaching their spawning grounds while allowing the Norwegian Atlantic salmon to continue their journey.

Check out the river management demo below:

The remarkable solution has already received international recognition twice. In 2023, Simula Consulting, Huawei Norway, and Troll Systems were awarded the jury’s special prize at the World AI Cannes Festival. In March 2024, they were honoured with the “Outstanding Mobile Contribution to the UN SDGs” award at the Global Mobile Awards in Barcelona.

During AI+ in April 2024, the conference attendees could view live footage from Storelva in Berlevåg and engage with the developers from Simula Consulting.

“We are proud to have developed this solution in collaboration with Huawei and Troll Systems. It serves as a prime example of our commitment to developing technology that benefits not only the environment but also society at large,” says Omar Richardson, Chief Technology Officer at Simula Consulting.

Important Meeting Place

AI+ 2024 marked the fifth consecutive conference organized by the renowned technology, innovation, and research community based in Halden, comprising the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), eSmart Systems, Smart Innovation Norway, Halden Municipality, Halden Business Development, and Østfold University College.

With the ambition of creating a premier gathering for applied artificial intelligence, the stakeholders, together with the Halden-based Cluster for Applied AI, will unify politicians, business leaders, researchers, IT professionals, and AI enthusiasts for two days of lectures, debates, parallel sessions, panel discussions, knowledge exchange, and networking in Halden.

The 2024 edition of the conference featured notable names such as State Secretary Tomas Norvoll from the Directorate for Digitization, David Hansen from Microsoft, Cathrine Pihl Lyngstad from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV), Magnus Sahlgren from AI Sweden, Elisabet Haugsbø from Tekna, Morten Langfeldt Dahlback from Faktisk.no, Torgeir Waterhouse from Otte, Alex Moltzau from NORA, Hanne Heltne from the law firm Advokatfirmaet CLP DA, Niels Goet from Bane NOR, Heine Skipnes from NTNU, and Niklas Kilberg from Volvo Cars.

Pupils Learned About AI

As part of this year’s AI+ event, Smart Innovation Norway and IFE hosted three AI days tailored for all 8th graders in Halden.

In collaboration with the Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) and Inspiria Science Center, the initiative offered nearly 400 pupils to explore the fundamentals of AI, witness the technology in action, engage in hands-on activities, tackle technical challenges, and gain a deeper understanding of what the future society and workforce hold.

Feedback about the AI days was overwhelmingly positive, coming from pupils, teachers, and organizers alike.

In anticipation of the AI+, IFE and Østfold University College hosted the academic conference ICAPAI, focusing this year on ‘Human-Centric AI for the Digital Society’. This gathering provides a platform for researchers and professionals to exchange insights and ideas.

In the evening, LO Østfold, NHO Viken Oslo, Kirkens Bymisjon Halden, Halden Chambre of Commerce, and AI+ collaborated to host ‘Kunstig Intelligens på pøbben’, an informal event in Norwegian about AI for the public. The event blended entertainment, culture, and discussions, igniting curiosity about AI and its potential.

Tech and Culture Combined

The annual conference dinner took place at the esteemed Haldens Klub, which hosted over 100 guests. Afterwards, the evening continued with the AI+ Party at Kulturhuset, which offered delightful drinks, a lively atmosphere, and excellent music.

Attendees had the opportunity to join a historical city tour on day 1 and the AI+ Run on the morning of day 2. Another AI+ 2024 sponsor, Computas, gathered people for a mini event with Google as a pre-party to the conference dinner.

Before lunch on day two, participants could select from three parallel sessions based on their interest areas: AI+ Business, AI+ Risk, and AI+ Education.

New this year was AI+’s collaboration with other prominent figures in Halden’s academic and cultural scene. The Fredriksten Opera Festival began its musical program on April 12, while the Halden International Music Film Festival (HIMF) brought the nine-day cultural and technology festival to a close.

AI+ 2024: Highlights from Day 2

Check out our highlighted photos from the second day of AI+ 2024. All photos are by Stein Johnsen / Contentvideo.no.

AI+ 2024: Highlights from Day 1 – Evening

Check out our highlighted photos from the evening activities; Historical Tour of Halden, AI+ Dinner, and AI+ Party. All photos are by Stein Johnsen / Contentvideo.no.

AI+ 2024: Highlights from Day 1

Check out our highlighted photos from the first day of AI+ 2024. All photos are by Stein Johnsen / Contentvideo.no.

Storespeed: A Nordic Data Center Provider Powered by AI

*The Storespeed team. PHOTO: Kine Jensen (kinejensen.com)*

Storespeed is a Norwegian data center company that owns, develops and operates its own data center services in the Nordic and Arctic region, offering bespoke solutions for storage and high-performance computing through 25+ years of experience.

Storespeed is now developing a portfolio of 10x sites through the Nordics for AI companies, either providing AI capacity or hosting AI solutions with high requirements of best-of-breed data center infrastructure to operate and maintain their solutions.

Ørjan Rolness, COO/CFO, Storespeed. PHOTO: Kine Jensen (kinejensen.com)

By using our extensive network and insight into the power available, we can develop sites on locations quicker and better than our competitors.
Ørjan Rolness, Storespeed

How does Storespeed use AI?

Being a small, but proactive company we need to accelerate our processes. By using AI solutions and foremost Gemini&GPT we are able to speed up our internal work. However, this requires proofing and some rework to make the text and content correct for the purpose we are working on.

We also spend time to share experience and learn how to optimize the use of different tools. This is vital to get increased valued of the different solutions we are working on.

John Amundsen, CEO, Storespeed. PHOTO: Kine Jensen (kinejensen.com)

Our core services revolve around providing data center facilities, offering bespoke hosting solutions for your server infrastructure. We see the AI industry as a huge opportunity for us providing the infrastructure to operate both the training platform and the platform for AI companies.

Our biggest project now is working together with some of the biggest providers of NVIDIA GPU processors. These companies are multi-billion-dollar companies with advanced requirements for their solutions. Today there is a rapid increase on space to allocate their AI capacity, which is the sweetspotfor Storespeed. We hope to be able to sign our first customer contracts soon.

What goals does the company have for the future?

Storespeed has ambitious goals for the future. We want to become the sustainable data center within the Nordic region, providing bespoke solutions for AI companies.

This requires both competence within AI and the ability to develop our business towards this market segment. We want to build a strong brand within this segment, as the best data center developer/operator for this type of data center capacity, enabling us to handle the increasing demand for AI applications.

By strengthening our partnerships, ensuring customer success, and building a strong brand based on our excellent deliveries is key objectives as we develop our business further.

Why is Storespeed sponsoring the AI+ conference?

Our decision to sponsor this conference is in alignment with our mission to advance within the AI industry. The event provides excellent networking opportunities, boosts our brand visibility, enables us to showcase our thought leadership, and reaffirms our commitment to supporting the AI community.

Facts about the company:

Name of business: Storespeed AS
Number of employees: 8
Location: Fredrikstad/Halden/Åfjord/Oslo/Finland
Industry: Data center services
Briefly about the product/service: Our data centers are providing IT operations and equipment to ensure a secure location for storing, sharing, and managing vast amounts of data. We provide businesses with flexibility in how they can view, back up, and store the data, as well as protect it from natural and man-made disasters.

Storespeed is a platinum sponsor for AI+ 2024.

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Recent AI+ news

Simula Consulting’s cutting-edge solutions tackles complex challenges through tailored AI solutions

*Omar Richardson, CTO og Magnus Waage, Data Engineer at Simula Consulting. PHOTO: Simula Consulting.*

Simula Consulting is a prize-winning AI and Machine Learning consultancy based in Oslo. Specialising in transforming complex challenges into cutting-edge solutions, they are dedicated to empowering businesses with the capabilities of AI, safely and ethically. As a part of Simula Research Laboratory, Simula Consulting has access to leading experts in computer science and security, enabling them to tailor the perfect team to solve your problems using state-of-the-art techniques.

How do you use AI in the company?

At Simula Consulting, we are a specialised consultancy, leveraging the power of AI to optimise and improve processes, enhance decision-making, and unlock insights from data. Our AI solutions encompass machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and more, tailored to meet the unique needs of our clients. Whether it’s automating tasks, predicting outcomes, or personalising user experiences, AI is integrated into our service offerings to deliver tangible value to our clients. Simula Consulting has long experience in deploying AI models, building them into existing or standalone systems.

*Intelligent AI-based Fish Filtering System to prevent the Extinction of Atlantic Salmon. PHOTO: Simula Consulting.*

Simula Consulting was awarded “Outstanding Mobile Contribution” prize at the Global Mobile Awards, for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona, for developing an Intelligent AI-based Fish Filtering System to prevent the Extinction of Atlantic Salmon. We collaborated with Huawei Norge, Troll Systems and Berlevåg Jeger- og Fiskeforening to implement a computer vision model based on an edge computing deployment in a quite rugged environment.

What goals does the company have for the future?

Looking ahead, Simula Consulting aims to continue innovating and expanding our AI capabilities to address evolving market and societal demands. We aspire to be at the forefront of technological advancements, driving digital transformation initiatives for our clients and empowering them to stay ahead in a rapidly changing landscape. As a part of Simula Research Laboratory, we make sure the cutting-edge research of 200+ researchers becomes available to the Norwegian Industry.

*Holger Hussmann, CEO, Simula Consulting. PHOTO: Simula Consulting.*

As a firm deeply committed to advancing AI technologies and fostering collaboration within the industry, sponsoring the AI+ conference aligns perfectly with our values and objectives. We recognize the importance of knowledge sharing, networking, and staying abreast of the latest developments in AI. By sponsoring this conference, we aim to contribute to the exchange of ideas, showcase our expertise, and forge meaningful connections with fellow professionals, researchers, and innovators in the AI community.