KTH takes a holistic approach to AI

Anders Söderholm

, 2026-11-11

It has been said many times: AI is changing everything! It is changing the way we conduct research, teach and run our operations, and this change is happening faster than most of us thought just a year ago. New technology requires clear guidelines. KTH is therefore introducing principles for the use of AI, while also establishing an Advisory Committee to strengthen our work in this area.

For a technical university, AI represents a fundamental transformation. We are helping to lead the way in this area through our research and by educating the engineers who drive AI development in industry. At the same time, we are facing pressure for change in virtually all areas.

KTH has long been building a strong foundation in AI research, covering areas such as machine learning, robotics and autonomous systems. Since 2015, we have been one of the partner universities in WASP (Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program), Sweden’s largest research programme in this field. KTH also coordinates the Ellis Unit Sweden and is involved in major programmes such as Digital Futures, SeRC (Swedish e-Science Research Centre), DDLS (Data-Driven Life Science) and Cybercampus Sweden, all of which feature AI as a central and significant component.

We have also brought together research in the form of a strategic AI initiative with three focal areas: the fundamentals of AI; AI for scientific discovery; and AI for technology and society. Research that truly makes a difference often occurs at the intersection of AI and other fields, such as materials science, energy, the life sciences, transportation and urban planning. Therefore, we need to bring together the full breadth of AI, ranging from basic research to industrial applications.

Without computing power, there can be no competitive AI research. KTH’s computing capacity is a flagship resource within the national NAISS (National Academic Infrastructure for Supercomputers in Sweden) infrastructure and is used by researchers throughout the country. The PDC (Parallel Computing Centre), now part of the KCSC (KTH Center for Scientific Computing), is a key NAISS partner. Computing capacity is now as important a part of the research infrastructure as laboratories and advanced instruments, and these types of resources require the expert support provided by the KCSC.

AI is already integrated into our programmes, ranging from civil engineering and computer science to electrical engineering and machine learning master’s programmes. However, it is essential that all of our engineers, architects and teachers understand AI, both as a tool and as a force for social change. That is why we are now reviewing our entire educational portfolio and scrutinising the content to ensure that we are building the right competencies with our students. This is taking place at both the course and programme levels.

Guidelines and recommendations regarding the use of AI in teaching have been in place for some time. We have now established principles for the use of AI across KTH as a whole, and these will be published shortly. These principles are based on taking responsibility for our use of AI, complying with the law, acting ethically in line with KTH’s core values, and creating conditions that allow for agility, rapid development and impact. People must always be kept informed, and the use of AI must be transparent.

At the same time, AI touches nearly everything we do today, from research and education to infrastructure, administration and collaboration. This is why we are establishing a special AI Advisory Committee. The purpose is to compile issues, provide a holistic perspective and lay the groundwork for decisions, ensuring that our initiatives reinforce one another rather than moving in different directions. We need to act swiftly, as the reality is changing rapidly, and the work group will enhance our ability to do so.

There are, of course, plenty of issues on the agenda, but we are well equipped. We have the capability and knowledge to handle the AI revolution both responsibly and strategically!

Time for the state to act on AI research

Anders Söderholm

, 2026-10-14

In an article published in Dagens Industri on 30 September, Björn Rosengren argues that the government has abdicated its responsibility for AI research. This is an important and clear contribution to the debate on AI. KTH is ready to take responsibility for its part.

The debate on AI has become increasingly heated recently, with a wide range of comments on the necessary actions in various sectors and the responsibility of policymakers in addressing this fundamental societal issue. Rosengren highlights something that we at the universities have recognised for a long time. The Swedish AI debate focuses on data centres and energy, the need for venture capital, scaling up new business ideas and reforming primary and secondary education. All of this is necessary. However, the latest AI breakthroughs in fields such as mathematics demonstrate how quickly the conditions for research itself are evolving. Without world-class research and the people it trains, the infrastructure becomes empty and has no future.

New methods emerge and the next generation of engineers and researchers is shaped in research environments. It is also there that businesses and society can access the expertise needed to use AI wisely and responsibly. Unlike many other stakeholders, universities are not merely subject to the AI revolution. We have the capacity to create, drive and steer the development that is now unfolding at an ever-increasing pace.

Sweden has been fortunate in many ways. Private initiatives, not least the investments of the Wallenberg Foundations, have laid a strong foundation. However, private forces cannot fully replace the government’s long-term responsibility. The countries we compare ourselves to are now investing vigorously and strategically. If we do not match their levels of investment, we will lose both researchers and competitiveness, and it will take a long time to recover from that loss.

As soon as it takes office, the new government will have an opportunity to demonstrate its leadership. It will require courage to provide long-term and predictable resources for AI research, graduate education and the computational capacity that this research requires. KTH and Sweden’s other universities are ready to play our part. Now, policymakers must take a significant step forward by creating long-term conditions that extend beyond government formations, campaign promises and annual budget decisions.

AI races ahead while campus estate management stalls

Anders Söderholm

, 2026-06-24

Surely everyone has noticed that an AI revolution is currently underway. This technological shift will bring about major changes, even if we currently find it difficult to grasp the full extent of what is happening.

This is often the case with major technological shifts. When the steam engine, electricity or the telephone first appeared, it was also hard to predict the societal changes that would follow.

AI, on the other hand, is not new. Research has been ongoing for decades, but it is only in recent years that its applications have had a widespread impact. Today, we recognise that research methods will also undergo fundamental change. With the help of AI, increasingly complex research problems can be formulated and solved more quickly than ever before. Large volumes of data can be processed rapidly, and scientific breakthroughs that would otherwise have taken years can now be achieved much more quickly thanks to access to advanced computing power.

AI is already transforming research methods, as well as the conditions for business and the public sector. Complex problems can be analysed more quickly, large volumes of data can be handled more efficiently, and new products and services are emerging at a rapid pace.

Universities have a special role to play in this development. On the one hand, the new knowledge on which AI is based is generated through successful research. On the other hand, AI is transforming the content of education and research itself. We must remain at the forefront of knowledge development while also finding time to study and address the ethical, environmental, and social consequences of this technological shift.

Universities suddenly find themselves at the centre of a technological arms race in a geopolitically turbulent world where science, diplomacy and international conflicts are intertwined in ways that politics, academia and the business sector are not accustomed to dealing with. This therefore requires rigorous yet agile and adaptable analysis, along with clear priorities, so that Sweden and Europe can take responsibility, foster independence, and reduce vulnerability.

If I had written about this topic a year ago, or were to write about it a year from now, the text would be completely different, simply because developments are moving so rapidly. This is in stark contrast to another topic I often write about: akademiska hus and the provision of university premises. In that area, developments are so slow that every piece of writing on the subject seems just as relevant year after year. Imagine if it were the other way around 🙂

Developments hardly ever take a summer break, but I hope that many of you will have the chance to do so. Summer greetings from Almedalen!

Studies

Research

Collaboration

About KTH

Library

KTH takes a holistic approach to AI

Time for the state to act on AI research

AI races ahead while campus estate management stalls