“We know that different companies are at different stages of maturity when it comes to AI. Our goal is for our partners to quickly reach a level of AI maturity, both in terms of competence and structure, so that together we can take the next step in AI development. Within the banking and insurance sector, there are many exciting areas to explore,” says Fredrik Heintz, Professor at the Department of Computer and Information Science.
Need for AI education
Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly become a central part of modern society, and interest in applying AI technologies has grown among individuals as well as public organisations and companies. However, it can still be difficult to determine how the technology can be used in the most effective way. To meet the growing need for skills development in AI usage, Linköping University has established AI Academy.
AI Academy was founded at LiU in 2022 within the Division for Artificial Intelligence and Integrated Computer Systems (AIICS), led by Fredrik Heintz. It is an initiative created to strengthen the university, the business sector, and society at large. The programme serves as a strategic platform for long-term development, excellence and collaboration, with several parallel tracks.
The first component introduced was AI Academy for Students, an initiative that allows students from various educational programmes at the university to work on real-world AI problems in a structured setting. The aim of AI Academy for Students is to contribute to society by giving the next generation of AI experts practical experience in tackling the challenges faced by stakeholders in academia, industry, and government.
Linköping University is now launching the next stage in the development of AI Academy: the AI Academy Partnership Program. This programme becomes a key part of AI Academy and is conducted by researchers, teachers and students within LiU’s collaboration mission. Through the AI Academy Partnership Program, university representatives offer expertise grounded in science that is directly applicable in practice. Thanks to the partnership, students affiliated with AI Academy can work closely with organisations under the supervision of LiU experts in applied AI.
The first partner of AI Academy
Länsförsäkringar Östgöta is the first partner in the AI Academy Partnership Program
Charlotte Perhammar
“Through this collaboration, we gain the opportunity to further enhance the customer experience and develop even more relevant and value-creating services. Together with some of Sweden’s leading experts and students, we can explore how AI can contribute both to entirely new possibilities and to more efficient ways of working. At the same time, we strengthen our ability to meet the needs of the future, for example within climate adaptation, says Åsa Röhs”, CEO of Länsförsäkringar Östgöta.
The collaboration aims to strengthen regional development and enhance the business sector’s ability to use AI in a safe and value-creating way.
“We are very much looking forward to developing innovative solutions for our customers and society at large, with support from LiU,” says Åsa Röhs.
