Since 2018 Sweden has a national strategy in Artificial Intelligence. This policy is driven by different organizations, among them “AI Sweden” which is the Swedish National Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence, supported by the Swedish government and the public and private sectors across the country. One of AI Sweden’s goals is to accelerate the use of AI to benefit society. The topic is regarded very relevant, therefore, the Swedish Innovation Agency, Vinnova, has made a long-term commitment to AI Innovation of Sweden, funding the initiative with 100 million SEK during 2020-2024 with the goal of developing the ecosystem and increasing collaborations.

In 2021, the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI), the São Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp) and the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.BR) financed Applied Research Centers in AI. They will be co-funded with private resources. One of the centers is the Artificial Intelligence Recreating Environments (CPA IARA) focused on Smart Cities with 202 researchers involved in 41 Academic Institutions in Brazil. On the private side, among the companies, there is the participation of Ericsson Brazil.

To better understand the scenario and the possibilities for cooperation in this area, Vinnova sponsored a pre-study on AI in Brazil. The study is being conducted by CISB and Rise. During the Innovation Weeks 2021 the first results from the project will be presented.