The government's AI billion has been distributed and it has been decided to establish six national research centres on artificial intelligence. The centres will conduct research on how artificial intelligence affects society, develop the technology and strengthen innovation and value creation in business and the public sector.
"Artificial intelligence is changing our society rapidly. We must have control over developments, understand technology and use artificial intelligence to strengthen welfare and value creation in Norway. We will now have six top-level research centres that will lead the way in this important work,' said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
The government has set aside at least 1 billion Norwegian kroner over five years for research on artificial intelligence. The centres will explore and provide knowledge about the technology, collaborate with leading academic communities internationally and strengthen Norway's ability to innovate.
"This is a special day for AI research in Norway. Here, our leading knowledge environments will conduct groundbreaking research, which will put us on the international AI map. They will ensure that we get the best and most up-to-date knowledge available in Norway. The centres consist of academic communities from research, business and the public sector," says Minister of Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland.
Many applicants
The Research Council received 50 applications to become a national research centre for artificial intelligence. More than 600 actors were behind the applications, from research institutions in Norway and other countries, companies and public agencies.
The new centres will, among other things, conduct research on responsible, reliable and sustainable artificial intelligence. They will research robots with built-in artificial intelligence and investigate how AI can be used in health and industry, creative professions and education.
"Together, these centres contribute to covering three tracks: societal impacts, technology and innovation. Here, AI national teams have been built that complement each other in terms of research topics and areas of use," says Mari Sundli Tveit, CEO of the Research Council of Norway.
These are the new centres
In total, the new national research centres for artificial intelligence will now receive up to NOK 200 million each over five years.
Artificial Intelligence Centre for the Empowerment of Human Learning
The centre will develop new models for human-AI interaction and learning and look at "hybrid intelligence", i.e. mutual joint learning for humans and machines.
Areas of application are education and training in a broad sense, through new learning systems for schools, working life and in society in general.
Among the many partners are UiB, NTNU, UiO, UiA, Østfold University College, the Naval Academy, KS, Digital Norway, municipalities, schools, government agencies and companies such as LEARNLAB AS and several others.
The centre will be led by Barbara Wasson (UiB) and Michalis Giannakos (NTNU).
The Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI
The centre will conduct research on how AI systems can be made more accurate, interpretable, inclusive and fair. The project will contribute to more responsible, reliable and non-discriminatory AI used in policy development, health and justice.
Among the participants are the University of Oslo, the Norwegian Computing Centre, SINTEF, government agencies within tax, health, transport and the judiciary, municipalities and a number of companies in the banking and insurance sector Equinor, Kongsberg Maritime, Norsk Hydro and DNV.
The centre is headed by Arnoldo Frigessi (UiO).
Center for AI & Creativity
The centre will conduct research on how AI promotes and challenges creativity, including issues related to copyright and regulation. The research results are relevant for many actors, and especially for creative industries such as film, music, design and literature, and for public and private actors in health, education and cultural heritage.
Among the many participants are UiO, UiA, the Norwegian Academy of Music, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, TONO, NRK, KunstSilo and a number of companies.
The centre will be led by Alexander Refsum Jensenius (UiO).
Norwegian Centre for Embodied AI
"Embodied AI" refers to AI integrated into a physical "body" – typically a robot, and together the partners will look at how to build robotic systems with built-in AI that are generalizable across robot platforms. The areas of application are many, such as defence, the maritime sector, transport and health.
Among the many participants are NTNU, OSLOMET, UiT, SINTEF, FFI, NORCE, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, Kongsberg, Maritime Robotics AS and a number of others.
The centre will be led by Kostas Alexis (NTNU).
Norwegian Centre for Sustainable, Risk-averse and Ethical AI
The centre will conduct research on how to develop AI that responds to sustainability goals on energy consumption, safety and responsibility, e.g. by looking at the environmental impact, ethics, risk and robustness of AI models. Applications include finance/economics, renewable energy, climate and hardware. Among the many partners are Simula, BI, UiO, NTNU, UiT, CICERO, Norges Bank, Dolphin, Rystad Energi and several others.
The centre will be led by Baltasar Beferull-Lozano (Simula).
Norwegian Centre on AI for Decisions
The centre will combine different AI techniques to interpret sensor data from physical processes in industry and critical infrastructure, and will explore how AI can be used for decision support where trust in decisions is maintained. Applications include AI-based decision-making systems for better decision-making in sectors such as energy, health, logistics and the process industry. Among the many partners are Sintef, NTNU, SimulaMET, St. Olav's Hospital, state actors in construction, energy, transport and a number of companies such as Aneo AS, Kongsberg Maritime, Aker BP, Hydro, Elkem and DNV among others.
The centre will be headed by Sebastien Gros (NTNU) and Signe Riemer-Sørensen (SINTEF).
Overview of partners
The Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI
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Research partners |
Public/private user partners |
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UiO, NR, SINTEF, UiT, UiB, OsloMet, BI, Høgskulen i Volda, UiS, NORCE Statistisk Sentralbyrå, Norsk Utenrikspolitisk Institutt, Politihøgskolen, Norges Geotekniske Institutt, UC Berkeley, Startuplab AS, Transportøkonomisk Institutt, CICERO Senter for klimaforskning, The European Centre of Tort and Insurance Law, University College London, University Of Cambridge, Ahus. Prosjektleder: Arnoldo Frigessi (UiO) |
Equinor ASA, Kongsberg Maritime AS, DNV AS, Norsk Hydro ASA, Gjensidige Forsikring ASA, Statkraft AS, Aars AS, Sparebanken Møre, DNB ASA, Aleap AS, Ruter AS, ABB AS, Construction City Cluster As, Statens Vegvesen, Helse Sør-Øst RHF, Skatteetaten, NAV, Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS, Domstoladministrasjonen, Folkehelseinstituttet, Digitaliseringsdirektoratet, Utlendingsdirektoratet, Politidirektoratet, Øygarden Kommune, Arkivverket, Norsk Nukleær Dekommisjonering, Trondheim Kommune, Standard Norge, Nasjonal Kommunikasjonsmyndighet, med flere. |
Center for AI & Creativity
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Research partners |
Public/private user partners |
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UiO, AHO, BI, HIØ, HVL, INN, Kristiania, NB, NILU, NLA, NMH, NORD, NORSUS, NTNU, SimulaMet, Sintef, UiA, UiB, UiT og internasjonale partnere Prosjektleder: Alexander Refsum Jensenius (UiO) |
ANNO, Atelier Nord, BEK, Bergen Internasjonale Festival, Borealis, Cultiva, DHKO, Fynd Reality AS, GramArt, GRAMO, Halogen AS, Hamarregionen Utvikling, HelseINN, JM Norway, Kilden Teater og Konserthus, KODE Kunstmuseer og Komponisthjem, Kulturskolerådet, Kulturtanken, Media Cluster Norway AS, Multikjetil AS, Nasjonalmuseet, Nasjonalt senter for kunst og kultur i opplæringen, Notam, NOPA, Norwegian AI Cloud, NRK, Oslo Kreativ AI, Polyfon, PUNKT, Reimagine AS, Sarepta Studio AS, Skapia, Skolene i Innlandet, StoryPhone AS, Teknisk Museum, TEKS, TONO, Ultima, Vest‐Agder Museum, VRINN |
Norwegian Centre for Embodied AI
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Research partners |
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NTNU, UiO, OSLOMET, UiTø, SINTEF, FFI, NORCE og internasjonale partnere. Prosjektleder: Kostas Alexis (NTNU) |
Statens vegvesen, Hovedredningssentralen, Kongsberg D&A, Maritime Robotics AS, SKARV TEC, EELUME, AUTOAGRI, NORBIT, WATER LINKED, SCOUTDI, UBIQ AEROSPACE |
Norwegian Centre for Sustainable, Risk-averse and Ethical AI
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Research partners |
Public/private user partners |
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Simula, BI, UiO, NTNU, UiT, CICERO, IFE, ISF, SINTEF og internasjonale partnere. Prosjektleder: Baltasar Beferull-Lozano (Simula) |
Norges Bank, Dolphin, Rystad Energi, Scalamem AS, Finance Innovation, Refinitiv Norge AS. |
Norwegian Centre on AI for Decisions
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Research partners |
Public/private user partners |
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NTNU, SINTEF AS, SINTEF ENERGI AS, SINTEF MANUFACTURING AS, SINTEF OCEAN AS, IFE, NMBU, Norce Research AS, SimulaMET, TØI, UiO, Meterologisk Institutt og internasjonale partnere. Prosjektledere: Sebastian Gros (NTNU) og Signe Riemer-Sørensen (SINTEF) |
Å Energi AS, Aker BP AS, Aneo AS, AtB AS, Autronica Fire & Security AS, Avinor AS, BAMA Gruppen AS, Benteler Automotive Raufoss AS, Borregaard AS, Cyberforsvaret, Cybernetica AS, DNV AS, Elkem ASA, Equinor Energy AS, Gassco AS, Glitre Nett AS, Haste AS, Helseplattformen AS, House of Knowledge AS, Hydro Aluminium AS, IC Technology AS, ITS Norway, Jotun AS, Kongsberg Discovery AS, Kongsberg Maritime AS, KPMG AS, KS-Kommunesektorens Organisasjon, Mesta AS, Microsoft Norge AS, Nord Pool AS, Norhead, Nye Veier AS, Oslo Kommune, Posten Bring AS, Properate, Senti sytems, Skagerak Kraft AS, Smart Innovation Norway AS, Solution Seeker AS, SparkPark AS, St. Olavs Hospital HF, Statens Vegvesen, Statkraft AS, Statnett, Statsbygg, Sykehusapotekene HF, Sykehuset Østfold HF, Sykehuspartner HF, Tensio AS, Trondheim Kommune, Veidekke Entreprenør AS, Vianode AS |
Artificial Intelligence Centre for the Empowerment of Human Learning
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Research partners |
Public/private user partners |
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UiB, NTNU, UiO, HiØ, Sjøkrigsskolen, USN, Universitetet i Agder, Uflorida.us, Uof.OULU Finland, U.Murcia Spania.
Prosjektledere: Barbara Wasson (UiB) og Michalis Giannakos (NTNU)
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SIKT.no, VESTLAND FK, VESTFOLD FK, KS-Kommunesektorens Organisasjon, Digital Norway, Bergen Brannvesen, Statsforvaltaren i Vestland, Nordland FK, Trondheim Kommune, Trøndelag Nettskole, Nettskolen Troms, LEARNLAB AS, VISMA FLYT AS, LEVATO AS, Midlaier AS, CAPGEMINI, KAHOOT! AS, European Edtech Alliance e.V. |