Sverker Janson
Enhetschef
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AI as a Force Field: From Sustainable Farmlands to Digital Sovereignty
At a recent meeting of AI ambassadors from across RISE, it became clear that we are in the midst of a system-wide shift. Fifty presentations, fifty voices, one shared insight: AI is becoming a foundational layer in everything we do.
Three examples demonstrate how broadly and deeply AI now permeates our work across RISE – from the farmlands of Europe to its digital independence.
From Farmland to Algorithm
At RISE’s testbeds, machines are learning to distinguish crops from weeds. Decision support systems reduce the use of chemicals while improving precision. Through EU-wide data sharing and digital twins, agriculture becomes both more sustainable – and a test arena for the next generation of AI. Here, AI emerges as a force field between biology, technology, and the environment – where knowledge quite literally grows from the ground up.
RISC-V and European Sovereignty
At the same time, a new open standard for processor design is taking shape: RISC-V. RISE is developing AI compilers and models that work seamlessly with this open hardware. This is technology – but also geopolitics – a step toward Europe’s digital sovereignty and long-term innovation capacity. Through open ecosystems, both security and freedom of action are strengthened.
AI in the Invisible Systems
Even beneath the surface, AI is making a difference.
In wastewater systems, invisible flows are transformed into knowledge. AI enables the creation of indexes describing network conditions, predicts risks, and enables proactive maintenance. Meanwhile, wastewater analysis provides insights into health and the environment – a reminder that AI’s value often lies in what we otherwise wouldn’t see.
A Growing Movement
And this is just the beginning.
AI is emerging in the built environment and energy systems, in materials and chemistry, in life science and health, in certification and cybersecurity – and in agentic tools already transforming how we work. RISE is becoming a node where technology meets societal needs, where national and European ambitions connect, and where synergies are refined. But it is in the meeting of people and perspectives that truly new opportunities are born. We are not only building prototypes or pilot projects.
We are building capability. We are building direction. We are building the future.
/Sverker Janson
Director, Center for Applied AI at RISE
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