Signature Projects Under the Danish National Uptake Fund for New Technologies

In 2019 the Government, Local Government Denmark and Danish Regions established an investment fund for new technologies for the period of 2019 – 2022. The fund supports projects using e.g. artificial intelligence (AI) to provide experience with the use of AI in the public sector.

Artificial intelligence offers great opportunities for creating growth, prosperity and world-class public services. From 2020 to 2022, The Danish National Uptake Fund for New Technologies has funded 40 projects, which provide experience with the use of AI in the public sector and knowledge of challenges when using the technology.

The aim of the projects is to provide concrete experience with the use of artificial intelligence in the areas of welfare services, climate impact, and public administration. The technology can for example support workers in the health sector, provide recommendations on how to reduce our energy consumption, or handle administrative tasks more efficiently -thus enabling more time for citizen-centred services.

Key insights from the first 15 projects

In 2021, Agency for Digital Government published a so-called "Knowledge Assessment" about the experience and knowledge acquired by the first 15 signature projects. The purpose of the knowledge assessment is to share experiences from the projects and use of artificial intelligence, to serve as a base for the future joint governmental collaboration.

The Knowledge Assessment shows that the projects in particular experience challenges with data, law and IT infrastructure. For example, some projects experience insufficient data quality, uncertainty about GDPR and lack of infrastructure for data sharing.

Moreover, the Knowledge Assessment identifies a number of select cases and tools that can be used when working with artificial intelligence in the public sector. Several organisations have developed tools for working with artificial intelligence. These tools can serve as an inspiration when handling crosscutting challenges