Investing together in AI strengthens the whole of Gävleborg

As AI became a serious topic of public debate, Region Gävleborg and its municipalities recognised the need to understand and use the technology wisely.

This marked the beginning of the 'AI knowledge journey', in which 300 employees from the eleven organisations were trained as AI ambassadors in collaboration with RISE. These ambassadors have already begun exploring the technology's potential applications in areas such as customer service, HR, purchasing and internal administration.

Of course, the background to this is that Sweden's regions and municipalities are facing mounting welfare challenges. An ageing population requires more care and support, yet resources in the public sector are dwindling.

Maintaining service quality requires new working methods. In this respect, AI offers hope in the form of efficiency improvements and new ways of creating value.

– We saw the potential in the transformative power of AI, but wanted to know how we could start to benefit from it in a safe way, says Mårten Lindqvist, coordinator and business developer at Region Gävleborg.

In what ways can AI be used in public services?

After collaborating on digitisation issues for several years, the region and municipalities decided in the spring of 2024 to invest in joint learning about how they can use AI in public services.

– We realised that we could achieve more if the county and municipalities worked together. Region Gävleborg then took on the responsibility of coordinating the project and securing funding, enabling all municipalities to participate, says Mårten Lindqvist.

From a citizen's perspective, cooperation is also natural; the knowledge and results of the work are the same, regardless of the activity with which a citizen comes into contact.

– Residents don't care about municipal boundaries or who is responsible for different aspects of healthcare and social care. That's why we needed to collaborate across boundaries, says Katarina Ahlström, IT and Digitalisation Strategist at Bollnäs Municipality, who has been involved in this knowledge journey from start.

Inspirers spread knowledge

In collaboration with RISE, which became a partner in 2019, the Regional Digitalisation Collaboration (RDS) working group has developed a training programme that has equipped employees across the county to take the lead in exploring AI in their operations.

– They should inspire others and spread knowledge. We chose people who were already passionate about the topic. It's important that they demonstrate that AI offers opportunities, not just technological advances, says Katarina Ahlström.

The training provided participants with a basic knowledge of AI and generative technology, as well as an understanding of the associated ethical and security issues, and how the technology can be used in everyday life. An ambassador network has also emerged where they can share experiences and learn from each other.

– It has become a learning community that continues to grow, says Mårten Lindqvist.

Curiosity instead of fear

Although they have only just begun their journey of discovery, Katarina and Mårten emphasise that they are already seeing clear results. Among other things, Katarina Ahlström highlights how this initiative has deepened cooperation between the municipalities.

– We can share knowledge across municipal boundaries and benefit from each other's strengths in various areas, not just AI-related issues, she says.

According to Mårten Lindqvist, one of the most important effects of the initiative is that they have dared to start exploring what AI could mean for their businesses.

– The partnership with RISE has been crucial in enabling us to take this step. Working with a state-owned, research-based organisation has given us the security we need, he says.

– They helped us to facilitate training and develop a shared understanding of how we can apply AI in practice. Having access to RISE GPT, their lab environment for the public sector, has also been extremely valuable.

Conny Björnehall, the RISE focus leader for digitalisation and AI in the public sector, notes that Region Gävleborg's initiative is unique.

– They took democratic responsibility by raising AI competence throughout the county. Region Gävleborg was the first in Sweden to do this, and they should be proud of that, he says. The public sector needs the opportunity to explore and test the possibilities of generative AI safely. RISE AI partnerships provide this opportunity, as well as enabling the prototyping of new solutions and possibilities in a protected environment. It is exciting to see the new business benefits being discovered.

From learning to benefiting

For Katarina and Mårten, the journey of knowledge continues as they gradually translate knowledge into practical services.

– We have now built a solid foundation for joint AI projects that can deliver real benefits to our citizens, says Katarina Ahlström. Mårten Lindqvist adds:

The collaboration with RISE has given us a real boost and is clearly just the beginning of something much bigger.