Even though we are not actively promoting our skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI), it seems that our friends in Finland are kind enough to do that for us.
Few weeks ago we were featured as one of the AI enablers in the “Finnish AI Landscape” report, which AI Finland and Business Finland compiled together. It highlighted Finland’s leading AI companies, key players, and technological advancements. The report gives an overview on the AI landscape by showcasing 80 interesting AI startups, examples of pioneering companies in AI adoption and AI-focused service providers, among others. We were honored to be listed in the report.
Get the report from here: https://aifinland.fi/finnish-ai-landscape/
The main reason why we have not been actively adding word AI here and there is simple; we are still, after more than 30 years of activity in this field, a bit troubled with the numerous definitions of AI in the literature and in the media. A quite common definition of Artificial Intelligence refers to human intelligence (among other high-level concepts) and for us, mere robotics engineers, working with real physical robots and not only with simulators, that definition is a bit difficult concept to accept.
Fortunately, another widely used definition talks about “methods and software that enable machines to perceive their environment and use learning and intelligence to take actions that maximize their chances of achieving defined goals.” That one is easier to accept, especially as it talks about machines perceiving their environment and acting based on that to achieve their mission objectives. That is our bread and butter. So, AI it is.
Yesterday, our friends released the “AI Innovation in Helsinki” video shown below. It was produced by Helsinki Partners and Flux Productions for the Helsingin kaupunki – Helsingfors stad – City of Helsinki during the AI Day 2024 organized by the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence (FCAI) on October 21-22, 2024 at the University of Helsinki.
Professor of Practice Nitin Sawhney (Department of Computer Science, School of Science, Aalto University, at that time), Karoliina Partanen (Director of AI Finland), Prof. Laura Ruotsalainen (Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki), and our CTO, and co-founder, Dr. José Luis Peralta were interviewed for the video.
The video illustrates nicely the good vibes the Helsinki AI community currently has. It consists of active stakeholders including Aalto University, University of Helsinki, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, companies and public sector operators. This ecosystem welcomes international talents, especially now when the results from the long-term research activities are being transferred to real-world use cases and solutions at ever-increasing speed.
So, if you like cold and dark winters, hot sauna and the happiest (AI) people in the world, think no more – Helsinki area is the place to be.
Read more about AI in Helsinki area – and wider in Finland.
