Sweden has unveiled its first comprehensive national artificial intelligence strategy, aiming to cement its position among the world’s top 10 AI leaders. The Swedish government said Wednesday the framework aims to bolster agency efficiency, provide regulatory clarity for businesses, and foster a more robust environment for research and innovation.
The AI strategy takes a holistic approach to AI policy, aligning societal development, sustainability and competitiveness under one coordinated agenda. It emphasizes responsible and secure AI, privacy protection and international rulemaking while promoting broader use of the technology across government and industry.
“We need to increase the use of new technology within broad segments of society, not least the public sector. This can improve the social welfare system, increase our technological independence with respect to other parts of the world, and contribute to our country developing key expertise in new technologies,” said Minister for Public Administration Erik Slottner.
What Measures Support Sweden’s AI Ambition?
The strategy is accompanied by a detailed action plan outlining adopted and planned initiatives. The plan spans regulatory reform, data access, infrastructure, research and security.
Key measures include:
- Providing AI-related assignments or reporting requirements to more than 100 government agencies and universities to strengthen AI and data capabilities
- Establishing an AI workshop for public administration led by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and the Swedish Tax Agency
- Increasing funding for language models built on material from Sweden and digitizing national archives to support domestic model training
- Allocating at least $11 million annually to fund new AI research institutes and specialized clusters of excellence
- Supporting the expansion of subsea and land-based data cables to improve global connectivity and computing capacity
- Establishing a Nordic-Baltic AI center and launching “Team Sweden AI” to strengthen international positioning in the AI sector
How Will AI Transform Public Services and Industry?
The strategy builds on Sweden’s broader digitalization agenda and highlights ongoing AI deployments in tax administration, pensions, forestry management and healthcare. Agencies are already using AI for tasks such as case processing, data analysis and image recognition.
Going forward, the government intends to simplify regulations, facilitate secure data sharing and expand digital infrastructure to ensure AI deployment aligns with energy planning, cybersecurity and defense priorities.
The Agency for Digital Government and the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority will provide annual oversight, tracking key metrics to ensure Sweden remains on course to reach its global ranking goal.