Newly started research project will give small industrial companies a boost with AI
On January 1, NextIndustriAI started, a new cross-border research project that will make it easier for manufacturing small and medium-sized companies in the Aurora region to take the step into AI-driven production.
Today, many smaller manufacturing companies lack the time, expertise and resources to introduce advanced AI solutions into their operations. This risks creating a growing gap between companies that adopt new technology early on and those that are lagging behind.
The NextIndustriAI project wants to reduce this gap by developing methods and examples that show how generative AI and machine learning can be used in concrete and everyday industrial processes.
"We will map and analyse needs and conditions, and based on this, develop practical methods and solutions that show how AI can be used to optimise production, improve data use and support collaboration between humans and AI in automated processes. The solutions will not be company-specific, but designed so that companies throughout the Aurora region can use them as inspiration and practical guidance," says Mazhar Hussain, project manager at Mid Sweden University for NextIndustriAI.
The project is EU-funded through Interreg Aurora and is based on close collaboration between universities and companies in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Mid Sweden University, the University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) and Centria University of Applied Sciences all contribute with unique expertise in AI, automation and industrial processes.
"AI must not be a technology only for large corporations. We want to show that even smaller companies can work data-driven and use generative AI without major investments or risks," says Mazhar Hussain.