AI Denmark. Photo: The Danish Industry Foundation

AALBORG UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL AND AAU'S AI CENTRE WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE NEW AI DENMARK

The Danish business community must be better at using artificial intelligence. Therefore, the Danish Industry Foundation is launching a new national initiative where AAU will contribute with knowledge about e.g. machine learning and data-driven business models.

Companies that manage to appropriately adopt and implement new technology significantly increase their competitiveness. Therefore, a larger part of the Danish business community must focus on artificial intelligence. According to Thomas Hofman-Bang, CEO of the Danish Industry Foundation, a report from i.a. McKinsey and Innovation Fund Denmark shows that only five percent of small and medium-sized enterprises in Denmark use artificial intelligence. With the new initiative AI Denmark, the Danish Industry Foundation will help increase the use of AI technology.

AAU covers the entire value chain

The Danish Industry Foundation has invited AAU to participate in the collaboration because AAU has a long tradition of interdisciplinary research and education and is the leading Danish university in corporate collaboration. At the same time, AAU Business School and AAU's ‘AI for the People Center’ have extensive technological and commercial practice experience, which covers the entire AI value chain from research and development of pilot projects to implementation and follow-up. AAU will specifically contribute with knowledge in applied machine learning, innovation management, organisational change, strategy and development of data-driven business models.

- At AAU Business School, we bridge the gap between business and technology, and our participation in AI Denmark is an excellent example of this. The combination of business and technology, in this case artificial intelligence, is in our eyes crucial for how we succeed in shaping the future in new ways and creating innovation. Strengthening the competitiveness of Danish companies is not just about new technology but also new mindsets and new ways of doing business, says Head of AAU Business School Christian Nielsen.

SMES LACK STRATEGY TO APPRECIATE THE VALUE OF AI

Project Manager and Associate Professor Roman Jurowetzki, AAU Business School, looks forward to working with the other partners in the new consortium.
 

- AI Denmark is a national flagship project and unique in its focus on traditional small and medium-sized enterprises, which currently only use AI technology to a limited extent. A major reason is that they lack the right mindset, (human) resources and strategy to see the benefits of implementing AI technology. Many of them think that it is only something that Facebook, Google and Tesla use. As soon as they gain an understanding of the basic mechanics, they will realise that it’s primarily a business challenge and not a technical challenge. We want to help SMEs identify potential use cases that make sense to them and help them get started, he says.

GREAT POTENTIAL 


Dean Rasmus Antoft of the Faculty of Social Sciences at AAU sees great potential in the cross-cutting collaboration in AI Denmark.

- We have successful experience in bringing knowledge from the university to companies. It’s time consuming and requires both technology knowledge, communication skills, business understanding and implementation skills. But the potential is great, and now we can hopefully realise much of it through this cross-cutting collaboration in AI Denmark.

FACTS:

The main actors in AI Denmark are Aalborg University, the Danish Technological Institute, the Alexandra Institute, the Technical University of Denmark, the University of Copenhagen and the IT University of Copenhagen. 120 companies - including 30 companies at AAU - participate in the three-year project.

Photo: The Danish Industy Foundation

MORE INFORMATION

·       AI Denmark (only in Danish)

cONTACT:


Dean Rasmus Antoft
The Faculty of Social Sciences, Aalborg University
Tel. +45 99408104 or
samf-dekan@aau.dk