Donation secures AI research long term

Five years ago, a new Beijer professorship in AI was established through a donation from the Beijer Foundation. Since then, the same Foundation has contributed additional funds to strengthen the University’s position in AI research, most recently in 2023 with funds for the establishment of the Beijer Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence Research. Professor Thomas Schön, the Laboratory’s director and holder of the Beijer professorial chair, is very pleased that the chair is going to be extended and is very satisfied with how the research environment has developed. He has also been able to continue his own research.

“Naturally it feels great, and it’s also an acknowledgement that we have succeeded in bringing to bear something good. The world has really changed over those five years. Back then, many people understood that AI would become an important area – now almost everyone has to relate to AI somehow. We’ve acquired a fantastic number of contacts, even abroad,” says Schön.

Research groups under construction

Initially, the priority was to create opportunities for more people within the University to explore the possibilities with AI. Through the University’s interdisciplinary initiative AI4Research, a number of researchers have been able to receive funding for exciting initiatives in AI, with ten projects currently under way. And at the Beijer Laboratory, which was an important expansion of those efforts, interesting research is now being established in two groups led by associate senior lecturers Ekta Vats and Sara Hamis. With a solid grounding in the underlying technology, this research is focused on two important areas: AI’s impact on society, and AI in the life sciences.

“These areas were chosen due to the potential uses of AI in the community in these areas. In medicine especially, there are many exciting opportunities,” notes Schön. “Of course it’s also important to have a focus on risk,” he says. “For example, legislation needs to keep pace with developments.”

But he also feels that the fear of AI has waned as knowledge has grown.

“It’s important to understand that it’s not enough to just have a bit of data and away you go. Like all other research, AI research requires solid studies and a lot of work. AI isn’t going to solve all problems, but nor is it going to cause the world to end,” says Schön.

In terms of the future, Schön is now going to focus on the development of everything that has been set in motion, while at the same time he wants to remain nimble in relation to what is happening in the AI field.

Room for more

For Anders Wall, Chair of the Board of the Beijer Foundation, it has been exciting to follow the development of AI research at Uppsala University.

“It gives me great pleasure to be able to contribute in this special way, to give something back to society. I hope that more people who are able to do so might experience the joy of supporting and following research,” he says.

AI is a young field of research, just like genetic research was in its infancy when the Beijer Laboratory for Gene and Neuro Research was established through a donation from the Foundation in 1990. Anders Wall is drawn to the cutting edge. He is by nature curious.

“Yes, I do enjoy being right at the forefront,” he says and smiles. “It’s a bit like in business, you take risks. Not everything will turn out well, but sometimes it will, in a big way. Something that may seem small at first can become big and vice-versa,” he says.

Impacting all areas

“AI is a new and very exciting area,” says Anders Wall, who is following the social conversation about this area with great interest. “It’s not just a technology – AI is impacting all areas.”

He considers it positive that all faculties have been involved at Uppsala University.

“AI is being talked about a lot and it scares some people. We don’t really know where it will go. That’s tricky, but it’s also exciting. Great progress can certainly be made in the field of medicine, which will also lead to new companies,” says Anders Wall.

Anneli Waara