Klarna founder Niklas Adalberth's impact empire Norrsken continues to expand. Together with the US chipmaker Nvidia, it is opening what it calls the Stockholm AI Lab, an office and meeting place for companies using artificial intelligence to tackle global problems.
"A year ago we pledged 300 million euros to European founders using AI to solve problems that actually matter. What these founders need now is what every great movement needs: a place," says Niklas Adalberth in a statement.
Norrsken foots the bill
The hub, which will also house a biotech lab, is due to open next year in central Stockholm, a few hundred metres from Norrsken’s current co-working space.
Nvidia is joining as "technology partner" and will open an office of its own in the building. Under the collaboration, a number of start-ups will gain access to Nvidia’s technology and platforms.
Neither party has disclosed how much it is investing in the lab, but both are putting money in.
"Nvidia is the house partner of Stockholm AI Lab, supporting it with technology and funding, but Norrsken is the main funder and owner of the project," Sofia Lindelöw, Norrsken's Managing director Nordics, tells Impact Loop in an e-mail (our translation from Swedish).
Impact must be built in
To get a place at the new hub, companies must have positive impact built into their business model.
"As the company scales, so must the positive impact, by a factor of at least 1:1," Lindelöw says.
AI requires vast amounts of electricity. How does that square with a lab designed to solve climate problems?
"The energy footprint is real. But the question isn’t whether AI uses a lot of energy, because it does. It’s whether we’re using that energy for something worth it," Lindelöw says, adding:
"Designing molecules that cut methane emissions from livestock? I think that’s worth it. Building a better ad optimiser? I don’t."
"The choice isn't between AI and no AI"
The new hub comes as concern grows over AI’s impact on society, and over what the technology could mean for humanity.
"Some of the smartest people working in AI believe this could go very badly wrong, and I think we should take them seriously," Lindelöw says. "But being worried is not the same as being against it. Used responsibly and in the right way, AI can have an enormous positive impact on the world. The choice isn’t between AI and no AI. It’s about making sure the technology is pointed at problems that truly matter."
The interview with Sofia Lindelöw was conducted in Swedish. The quotes have been translated by us, and any errors in them are ours.