IIIM News

News about the institution, its research & recent advances

Computer Weekly: “IIIM Could Revolutionize AI”

In a recent article that appeared in Computer Weekly, IIIM is put at the forefront of the AI revolution with the catchy headline “Icelandic Research Could Revolutionise AI”. Reporter Pat Barnes continues, “The new approach [to AI], led by Kristinn Thórisson, director of IIIM and a professor at Reykjavik University, differs from existing approaches to AI [… It relies …] on self-supervised learning [… and …]  a form of ‘reasoning’ – where the system autonomously generates hypotheses and tests them.” 

Funded in part by CISCO Systems in San Francisco, the research builds on earlier work also lead by Kristinn R. Thórisson, then at the Reykjavik University AI lab CADIA, under a 2M Euro research grant Continue reading Computer Weekly: “IIIM Could Revolutionize AI”

CISCO Funds IIIM to Develop AI That Can Explain Itself

The Icelandic Institute for Intelligent Machines has been awarded an advanced research grant from CISCO Systems in San Francisco – one of the largest software companies in the world – to develop a new kind of AI. With over 77,000 employees worldwide, CISCO is a multinational technology corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells networking equipment and other high-technology services and products. The company’s annual revenue tops 50 billion U.S. dollars, making CISCO a market leader in IT and networking.

To understand IIIM’s AI research for which CISCO Systems pledges investment, think about our dependence on modern AI systems: Could we trust them to direct air traffic? Prescribe our medicine? Plan our summer vacations? Manage our finances? Probably not. Most people would find them untrustworthy. But a future AI that can explain why it does what it does – in a satisfactory manner – and demonstrate that its actions are sound, would probably be Continue reading CISCO Funds IIIM to Develop AI That Can Explain Itself

The Robot is About to Run – Nordic Countries Preparing Big Steps in AI

A new research report about the state of artificial intelligence (AI) research and development in the Nordic countries reveals their readiness to move the needle on AI development. Strong interest from governments, established research centers, as well as a highly trusted public sector, form a strong basis for the Nordic countries to further climb the Global AI Index ranking. By reaching rank 11, Finland officially showed that their early phases of preparation have been successfully completed and replaced by the phase of actual development. The other Nordic countries are expected to follow this pattern closely in the coming months and years. They are not only about to move in a single direction, however, but to head into different AI key sectors simultaneously. While Sweden’s strength lies in manufacturing and process industry, Denmark is focusing heavily on life sciences. As one of many examples, this fact underlines the broadness of expertise that is spread all over Scandinavia – making them ready to transform their first steps into a run. -LH

 
The State of Artificial Intelligence in the Nordic Countries [Oxford Research 2021]

IIIM Expresses Committment to Icelandic Government

The EU’s plan for pan-European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) across Europen countries has piqued the interest of the Icelandic government, and on May 11 it announced an interest in receiving letters of commitment from parties hoping to participate in an Icelandic EDIH, of which there is planned only one. The call, published by the EC, explicitly mentions AI centers with “advanced skills” as necessary for participation in the call. IIIM’s highly successful and long-standing close collaboration with industry, government, and academia, have put it at the forefront of applied AI and automation in Iceland. Bridging between numerous industries, academic researchers, and institutions, Continue reading IIIM Expresses Committment to Icelandic Government