The Icelandic Institute for Intelligent Machines and Dr. Inga Dóra Sigfúsdóttir, professor at Reykjavik University in Iceland and Columbia University in New York City, have been awarded a research grant from the European Research Council to develop a simulation of bio-psycho-social factors related to teen substance abuse. The “proof-of-concept” project will employ next-generation simulation and modeling techniques to create a hierarchical computer model that can be used for evaluation of prevention programs, educating councilors, posing complex what-if questions, and evaluate the effectiveness of preventative measures taken by municipalities, cities, and nation states Continue reading IIIM & Reykjavik University Awarded European Research Council Grant →

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” →

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 →

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]